Black Velvet
by The Lonely Executioner
Summary: When Jack makes up her mind, Riddick wonders what's happening to him. And what is it about some old Terra song that makes the situation a billion times more impossible to bear?
1. Prologue

_Black Velvet_

_A __**Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black**__ fanfiction_

**Prologue-**

_New Mecca_

Jack glared at him and the beast within him half purred. He _had_ to protect her, for the safety of his sanity and the known galaxy. Somehow, if something _ever_ happened to her, he knew that he'd murder half the universe before they could catch him. Her pain, her death… it would destroy the last link that he had to sanity.

"Goddammit, Riddick. You leave me here and I swear on all of the known gods that I'll take up with the next merc crew hunting your sorry motherfuckin' ass!"

She didn't scream at him. He wouldn't have taken her screams seriously. Richard Riddick took no one's screams seriously.

"Holy Man, watch the _kid_." He emphasized the word 'kid', making her eyes spit more emerald fire at him. "Don't let her sign up with mercs. She don't know what they're like when they're huntin'. And watch your damned mouth, Jack."

Imam and his new wife nodded. Riddick could _smell_ her pregnancy and the hormones were driving him insane, making the beast in him want to claim his chosen mate, come hell or high water. More than once, he'd had to remind himself that the only available female in the house was a fourteen-year-old child who was defiant, aggravating, annoying, ill-raised….

Alluring, spunky, never-say-die courageous, talented, brilliant…

"_Riddick,_ you _need_ me. Who's gonna watch your back?"

He flinched inwardly. _Ah, kid, if you only knew the half of it. But you need time to do some growin' up. I don't need some half-grown child-mate making me want to scream during space travel. Too temptin'._

"I'll watch my own back, kid. Been doin' it for years now. Think I got the hang of it."

"You fucktard. Your ass deserves to get shot if you ain't willin' to take on help. How are you gonna manage all the repairs on Whats-her-name if you ain't even got a small crew?"

"Watch it, kid."

She spat a curse that had Riddick blinking behind his goggles, Imam paling, and his wife fainting. He frowned at her as she continued with an approximate guess of how he could perform the curse.

"Audrey."

Her eyes widened. He had only called her 'Audrey' once before in the long months of their acquaintance. He knew that she realized that she'd gone too far now. She was always 'Jack', unless Riddick thought she needed scolding.

"I'll come back for you, Jack. I promise."

Her eyes filled with tears, making him feel helpless. She didn't believe him, it was obvious. She thought that he was abandoning her, like everyone else had in her past.

Awkwardly, he walked over and hugged her, whispering, "How do I make you believe me, Jack?"

Her hand slipped between them and clenched in his shirt, fingers curling around his dogtags. "Leave me your dogtags and your shirt. You'll come back for one or the other."

He forced his mind from going to the mental image of his tank top reaching the middle of her thighs, almost too short. If his dogtags and a shirt would soothe her fears, he'd give it.

The shirt came over his head and he folded it before handing it over. She promptly unfolded it and slid it on. He couldn't resist taking a small sniff of their combined scents, making him shudder inside. And he'd been right. The tanktop reached about the middle of her thighs, making him imagine the pale flesh beneath her baggy black pants, dressed almost as if for a mosh concert.

He took off his dogtags a bit slower. He'd never let another touch these, much less wear them. And he was going to hand them to Jack… Let her hold them for who knew how long…

He slipped the dogtags around her neck, pretending not to watch when they settled neatly into the valley between her budding breasts. Why was he doing this? Why was he promising her something he wasn't sure he could give? Why did her peace matter to him?

Her hand was now over his heart, palm to skin. Her fingers kneaded the flesh slightly, eyes wide and bright as her arms came around him.

"_Jack,"_ he breathed, scenting her again, knowing that it would have to last long years while he waited.

"Two years. Then I come after you. And I'll do it, Riddick. Dammit, I'll do it." The tears were there again, but they weren't sad tears. She was… resigned to this. That she'd have to wait.

"Four."

"Three. Not a day more."

He nodded, unable to believe that he'd actually negotiated. Oh, if any of the fuckers back at Butcher's Bay could see him, they'd say he was pussy-whipped. By jailbait at that! Richard B. Riddick didn't negotiate. Didn't care what happened to the people around him as long as he survived.

"Three years, Riddick. Only three. I'll be a graduate by then, be ready for space again. Be ready to be a good partner for you."

"Sharpen your senses. Feel everything. Be constantly aware. Look, taste, touch, hear, smell. Learn your weaponry. Learn survival."

She nodded, eyes sharpening. He knew she'd obey. She was like that. She obeyed no one but him. Even now, when she truly wanted to go with him, to live with him, to _be_ with him, simply be, she would obey his desire that she stay and grow up.

"Alright, Riddick. Now, please, go before I change my mind."

Her fists clenched in the folds of his shirt, much too large for her, ridiculous and sexy at the same time. He nodded and blended to the shadows, wondering what the pressure on his heart was and why every step the other way that he took hurt.


	2. Chapter 1 Happy Birthday, Jack

**Chapter One- Happy Birthday, Jack**

_New Mecca: One year, two weeks later_

Jack sat, albeit uncomfortably, at the dining room table, baby Ziza on her left and Imam on her right. Holy Woman, as Jack privately called Lajjun, was out, supposedly at the bazaar, but Jack knew that Holy Woman hated her, hated the danger that Jack posed if anyone ever found out who's dogtags she wore.

Richard B. Riddick, her protector, her best friend… The only man she loved. At sixteen, she was more than positive that Riddick wasn't just a crush, wasn't someone that she felt she owed for rescuing her from T-2, the crash.

She reached up and blindly touched the dogtags as Imam told her to make a wish. She'd make the same wish she'd made last year.

That Riddick would put an end to this foolishness and come back before the three years were up.

_One year down, two to go,_ she thought sourly as she blew out the candles.

"Jacqueline, there is no need to frown. Mr. Riddick will come back. Maybe not when you want, but always when Allah wills it."

She muttered something beneath her breath and, fortunately, beneath Imam's hearing. It was tempting to tell him exactly where he could shove his thoughts on Allah, but she was trying to pretend to be reformed at the very least.

Ziza sat there, staring at the pretty colors on the cake like she couldn't wait for a piece. Jack cut a small slice for Ziza and handed it over. She may not care for having to stay on New Mecca, but Ziza was so sweet and nonjudgmental that Jack truly cared for her.

She hated when Imam called her 'Jacqueline'. Ziza could get 'Ja-ja' out and that was the sounds Jack answered to mostly now. But she would kill to hear one deep, rumbling, slightly accented voice go, "Jack." Hell, right now, she'd even settle for "Audrey."

Oh, how fuckin' pathetic. She was being ridiculous. Riddick would keep his promise or she'd ice his ass so fast that his head would be spinning in the afterlife for two days.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Richard B. Riddick looked at the chronograph when it beeped and sighed. "Happy Birthday, Jack," he whispered to no one. She was sixteen now and prettier than when he'd left. He glanced at the photographs Imam sent him every other week and the progress reports.

Her hair was still growing out. She now wore it in a short braid with a metal ring at the end. Normally, there was a leather sheath around the ring, which was sharpened to a fineness that had Riddick smirking.

In this picture, it was just about to connect with some little fucktard's face. Imam said that the boy had been harassing her for a while at school now. The report had angered him before he saw the pictures and had laughed in the silence of What's-her-name.

Currently, the ship was _The Midnight Storm_, and he was Michael Canova from Nuova Italia, a man getting a reputation for being willing to transport almost anything without too many questions. The only questions he asked were where did it go and how much was he to be paid.

He leaned back in the pilot's chair, eyes thoughtful. He truly missed Jack, missed how her nightmares would send her quietly sneaking into his room to curl up with him like he was a teddy bear she needed, missed her smart mouth, missed that faint scent.

He shook his head, almost wistful. She'd been willing to come with him that night, but he'd walked away, launched off, trying to pretend that he wasn't looking back. He'd succeeded in the pretence until he'd been in orbit and he looked back, pretending he could see her, even all the way up here, and she was waving to him.

He'd went to Helion 4 after that to fuel up, and then shot directly across galaxy to a small station called Hephaestus Station. It orbited a rather large mining outfit, but the planet wasn't really suitable for space terminals, so they tended to shuttle visitors in and out of the fragile atmosphere with solar powered conveyances.

It was there, six months after leaving Helion Prime, that Riddick had broke and wrote Imam, asking for photos and updates on Jack. They had started arriving every other week after that.

His favorite picture was of her, petting a lion, her arm in it's mouth and her eyes joyful. Imam had actually sent a three-dimensional video of the day and Riddick had watched it at least twice a month every month since.

She had walked straight up to him and whispered something in the lion's ear. Riddick could hear the words 'tough little bastard' and laughed. She'd seen him pull the same trick once.

The lion stretched out when her hands buried in its mane. She wasn't pushing on it, but just keeping her eyes on his. She wasn't afraid, didn't hesitate.

By the end of the trid, she was curled up on the lion, looking like she belonged there. Imam had been furious at her for taking such a risk, for ending up on the nightly news for New Mecca.

In fact, Imam had been so pissed, he'd sent a call out for Riddick under his then name and nearly yelled for thirty minutes. An emotionally-charged Imam was incredibly amusing.

Then, there was the letter Jack had sent that he'd never been able to respond to.

_Dear R-_

_Hah, gotcha, didn't I? You _thought_ I'd address you by your full name. Hear my laughter, fucktard._

_Anyway, I'm sure that Imam knows where to send this. Stupid Holy Man thought I wouldn't put it together. Especially with Lajjun acting like she's on her fucking period every other Friday. Haha!_

_I'm doing well and counting the days. My aim is still a bit off- about five centimeters to the left, if I am right- but other than that, all of my training goes well. It's almost time for school, so I need to go and deal with the stupid motherfuckers in this retarded school Imam put me in._

_Love ya!_

_-J_

He had read and reread that note so many times he could recite it in his head. _'Love ya!'_

Had anyone ever said that they loved him? He couldn't recall it, and that casual little exclamation at the end of her note meant the world to him when he knew it should mean nothing.

_Two more years. I can give her two more years,_ he muttered in his head. He wouldn't be one of those idiots that just took what they wanted and damned the consequences.


	3. Chapter 2 Sick Call

**Chapter Two- Sick Call**

_New Mecca: Sixteen months after Riddick's departure_

The knock on the door was a surprise. Lajjun was visiting her mother on Orion's Belt with Ziza and Imam was on a pilgrimage to New Medina. That meant that Jack was home alone and not expecting anyone. At least, not expecting anyone until about two hours from now when her friend Aza brought her the schoolwork for the day….

She grabbed the blade she'd hidden in the foyer, ever wary. It could be mercs. Mercs meant Riddick and people after Riddick had to die. Imam and Riddick could never know that she'd already killed twice and, frighteningly enough, seemed to like it a little. Then again… They _had_ just been dirty, dime-a-dozen mercs.

The knock came again, more insistent. She looked out the peephole and growled quietly. A cloak hid her visitor's identity, much to her grief.

"Who is it?" she queried, doing her damnedest to hide her illness.

"Jack. It's me."

Her breath left her lungs in a rush. She knew that voice. Heard it in her sleep every night. He'd call her stupid, though, if she didn't double-check. She could hear the lecture on her stupidity even now.

"_What if I'd not been me and had been using a vocal disguise? What if I was a merc that had killed your Big Evil?"_

"What's the password?" she demanded.

"Seventy, eighteen, five."

_It's Riddick. I wasn't followed. I need to talk to you._

She opened the door and dragged him in before anyone noticed that her visitor had been standing on the front porch for five minutes. "It _is_ you!" she cried, leaping into his arms and hugging him tightly. Her legs hooked around his waist and she kissed both of his cheeks. "I've missed you. Imam, Lajjun, and Ziza aren't here. What are _you_ doing here?"

She was babbling and knew it, but she couldn't hold back her joy, the comfort she got from his scent, her relief that he was still alive. He had never written her back, after all. She hadn't known if he was dead or alive and that had scared her witless.

She wasn't going to cry in front of him, though. She'd save her tears of anger and relief for later. Breaking like that in front of him would doubtlessly make him uncomfortable and when Big Evil was uncomfortable, he tended to get a bit snappy.

"Imam's not here? He _left_ you?" Riddick's voice was quiet fury. It became obvious that there was an agreement that she was to never be left completely alone, never to be left to her own devices.

"I'm sixteen, Riddick!" she snapped, moving to stand on her own. Her legs wobbled a little, but she was careful to not let it show that she noticed. Riddick pretended not to notice as well. "Besides, he couldn't exactly take me to New Medina with the fuckin' sand flu! I'm sure interplanetary customs would have had just a _small_ problem with that."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously at him before she spun away, walking down the hall. Oh, he made her so fuckin' furious sometimes. He was the poison to her serenity, the chaos to her wellbeing. She didn't know quite how, but she was sure she could find a way to blame her illness on him, if necessary.

Sand flu wasn't necessarily dangerous or contagious, but it left one's body weak and tired, hurting. She couldn't stop herself, even in her anger, from sniffling at that particular moment and letting out a small moan of pain.

"Dammit, Jack. You're still sick? You answered the fuckin' door sick?!"

She nodded, eyes half closing. Her breathing was growing difficult again, almost labored. She'd been out of her room too long. Even her eyelids hurt like hell. She definitely wasn't at her best right now.

He picked her up, the gesture both careless and careful. "You still in the same room, Jack?"

She nodded again, eyes closing completely. Maybe if she closed them, her eyeballs would stop hurting so. She really wouldn't admit exactly how much pain she was in, not even to Riddick.

Before she realized it, Riddick was pushing her door open and laying her on her bed. "Let me go and get the medkit. Are there any pain patches there?"

She nodded, then shook her head. She wasn't sure. That fight with the merc two months ago had left her in dire need of pain patches. She had told Imam that the merc was just a boy harassing her at school and that she'd taken care of the problem, Big Evil style.

She hoped that she didn't go into delirium again. She didn't want Riddick to know that, when Imam had adopted her, given her a name, she'd chosen to be Audrey Jacqueline Richards. Taken his first name as her surname.

She was sure that all hell would break loose with Furyan fury.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

She slipped into sleep as Riddick watched. He was torn between cursing and walking away. Again.

She'd never forgive him if he walked away right now.

With a frustrated growl, he walked over to her disc collection and grabbed something labeled 'Rock Romance-Terra: 2000-2007EY'

What was she doing with a disc of songs that old? What interest could it possibly hold for her? Sappy love songs?

What had happened to his Jack? His Jack would never have listened to sappy love songs!

_She's not yours, dumb shit. She can't be yours._

He slipped the disc in and what came blaring out was not at all what he expected.

_I see nothing in your eyes_

_And the more I see the less I like_

_Is it over yet?_

_In my head_

_Oooooooh_

_I know nothing of your kind_

_And I won't reveal your evil mind_

_Is it over yet?_

_I can't win_

_So sacrifice yourself_

_And let me have what's left_

_I know that I can find_

_The fire in your eyes_

_I'm going all the way_

_Get away_

_Please?_

_You take the breath right out of me_

_You left a hole where my heart should be_

_You gotta fight just to make it through_

'_Cause I will be the death of you_

The music was moody, almost violent, and he felt muscles he hadn't known were tense relax.

The song suddenly changed to something more operatic. He flipped on her computer and looked at the disc's playlist. 'Away' by Nightwish, another Old Earth band. He looked through the entire playlist, eyes widening slightly in appreciation and shock.

Her taste in music was definitely not what he'd expected. It was old rock music, the kind they'd played in Slam City when they didn't want the prisoners to sleep. What they'd play when one of the fuckers up top had done went stupid and fucked shit up.

_Where did she get this shit? All of the old bands…Staind, Disturbed, Nightwish, Evanescence, My Chemical Romance… Does she know that I like this shit?_

They had never discussed his musical preferences, never discussed how the loud rock had been his favorite background music for exercise when he'd been in Slam City.

"Computer, change disc to Three Days Grace. Song is Never Too Late."

"Sure thing, Riddick," came back a sassy, unknown voice.

His eyes widened again. She'd fuckin' programmed his voice into her computer. The kid had style.

"What does she call you?"

"Well, that depends, Riddick. Sometimes I'm 'you stupid piece of junk' or 'motherfuckin' fucktard'. Most of the time, though, I'm Janice."

"She gave you AI?"

"Yup! And a petty decent personality, I think."

"Can you give me access to her journal for the past sixteen months?"

"She'd bust my mainframe for that kind of shit. Fuck you, Riddick."

"Cough up or I hack your ass."

Was he really sitting here, arguing with a fucking computer? He couldn't believe this shit. And just because the computer was Jack's, he knew that he wouldn't hack it or destroy it.

"Just try it, you sorry fucker. I'll fry your ass so quick you'll wish you were back in Nereid."

_Holy fuck. Janice is sassy,_ he mused, laughing in his head. _Did Jack program all of her knowledge about me or has Jack just spent that much time researching me? Interesting…_

Riddick switched to the voice that got Jack to do anything. "Please, Janice. Just for twenty minutes?" he purred.

Janice's computer face blushed. "Jack warned me about you. Not a chance, Big Evil."

"Fine."

He moved over to the computer's keyboard and began typing furiously. "Either twenty minutes or I de-program your ass, you stupid piece of shit."

Janice capitulated, and rather quickly.

"Fine, fine. Stupid fucktard of a human. Go fuck a-" Janice broke off as the journal entries appeared.

_Imam called Big Evil today. I have the sand flu and Imam _can't _cancel his trip to New Medina._

_He's coming. I heard his voice and the reaction is worse now than it was a year ago. All of these tingles and the awareness of the subtle changes in pitch and speed. I noticed it all._

_I wonder if he knew I was there? Did he see little Jack and wonder at how much I've grown over the past year? Did he not see me and wonder where I was? Did he even care whether I was there or not?_

_He didn't inquire about me, Janice. Is everything that I think I feel all on me or is he trying to pretend that there's nothing to give me time to grow up? Please let it be the second option. If it was all in my head… I think I'd die of embarrassment._

_Janice, everything is twice as much when I see him, when I hear him. Everything within me sharpens and it's like there's this tigress pacing within me, wanting… something. I don't quite know what._

_And you know about the dreams, Janice. How I've awakened, panting for breath, body restless, and that one area so sensitive that it scared the shit out of me and I needed a body scan. Dammit, I've been around whores, I know what intercourse is like, but I never knew that dreams could provoke _that_ kind of response._

_It was… like being on Xanaphedrine. A high that I never knew existed._

She compared him to _Xanaphedrine?_ Wow… He couldn't remember ever hearing a higher compliment. Considering the addictiveness of Xana and how each dose had to be increasingly higher to get the same affect… Hmmm, this held promise.

And she thought that it could be all in her head. Poor Kid. If only she knew…

She'd run from him so fast that no one would pick up her dust trail for six months if she knew exactly everything that the beast within him was going to demand from her one day.

He sniffed her carefully, wondering if, in her desperation to figure out why she awoke panting and sensitive, she'd sought out another.

No. The only male scent on her was long faded and limited to her hands. Imam was there, but Imam would never touch her like that. His scent was on her, but he knew he hadn't touched her there.

He sighed in relief, the beast relaxing. _Still mine,_ it purred. _Anyone touching her like that will die. She's mine, all mine._

_Shut up, dick face. She's too young._

_She wants it. Wants us. We could take her, take her with us, be _hitara-kna-freozki.

He froze. _Hitara-kna-freozki_ was the Furyan word for a more than temporary wife. A forever wife. A.. life mate.

He scented her again. It was the same soap that she'd stole from him aboard the ship. His shea butter and sandalwood soap. But it smelled so much different on her. More exotic, more erotic….

_Stop!_ his mind screamed. _Stop! You can't do this. It's madness._

_She's _hitara-kna-freozki! _She's ours. It's supposed to be like this,_ his beast roared back.

He literally ran from the room, leaving Janice wondering what the hell was the matter with Riddick.


	4. Chapter 3 Guilt By Association

Umm, just a quick, first author's note….

**To all who have reviewed:** Thank you for spreading the love! This is my first Riddick fanfic and I feel kinda like a groupie, writing Jack/Riddick, but it's irresistible!

**Concerning Imam:** I recently learned that 'Imam' is a title, not a proper name, so I went back and did a little research to find out Imam's real name. Any mis-spellings are on me.

**To PagingDrHouse-Furyan Goddess:** Umm, yeah, I left it there for a reason. Don't know why, just yet…. I think that this chapter is going to be pretty weird… But much longer.

And you have to wait for good smut! Good smut doesn't just –happen!- It takes dedication, thought, and a lot of imaginary foreplay! LOL! Now, be a good goddess and be patient!

**Chapter Three- Guilt By Association**

_New Medina_

Imam Abu al-Walid flinched at the glittering honey eyes of the Sheikh of New Medina. This was impossible. No one was supposed to know. No one should have been able to associate Audrey Jacqueline Richards with Richard Bryan Riddick. Who had connected them? How? When?

"Imam al-Walid," the sheikh addressed formally. "Surely you can see the danger of having Riddick's whore in the Helion system. Why, the price for her head is a quarter million credits! Riddick is worth more than ten times that. Use the infidel whore to the greater glory of Allah. Tithe as much as you will and then keep the rest. Just give us Riddick's whore."

Abu flinched again. Jack was no whore. Who had betrayed them? Betrayed Jack? And why?!

"Only my daughters, Ziza al-Walid and Audrey Richards, reside with me. Neither Ziza nor Audrey are whores, Your Eminence."

"But you do not deny association with the one called Riddick," the sheikh exclaimed, pouncing on the omission.

"I cannot. Mister Riddick saved me on the planet T-2. I would not have survived the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crash, but for Riddick's skill and Allah's mercy."

"He sacrificed your sons for his survival."

"As Allah forgives, so must I," Abu said, hands spread in a 'What else could I do?' gesture.

"Imam al-Walid, was your… _daughter_… close to Riddick? Allowed to spend unsupervised time with him?"

The pause before Sheikh Hazad called Jack Abu's daughter was telling. He _knew_ of Jack's obsession with Riddick. Of Riddick's affection for Jack… _how?_ How was this possible? They had all been so very, very, very careful!

"Audrey was barely twelve when she met Mister Riddick. Yes, they spent unsupervised time together. I do not believe Mister Riddick would do _that_ to a child. Murderer, yes. Child rapist, never."

Abu didn't add that half of New Mecca knew about Sheikh Hazad's preference for young, barely legal brunettes. And the half of New Mecca that didn't know was the half that chose ignorance. Abu envied them their ignorance, but knew that being ignorant was for the weak. The only fool was the one that chose to be fooled.

Sheikh Hazad had wanted Abu to bring Jack to New Medina, to meet the young woman that had won so many of New Mecca's hearts. Abu had deliberately infected Jack with an active strain of the sand flu to protect her. Riddick could protect Jack while Abu was tied up on New Medina. He _knew_ that Riddick would die for Jack, would give everything to protect her.

"Perhaps; however, if their relationship was purely platonic, as you claim, why would he give her something as personal as these?"

The sheikh held up the dogtags that Riddick had given Jack a little over a year ago and Abu knew who the traitor was. Only one person could have coordinated the theft and placed the fakes without Jack pulling a blade.

Ziza was far too young to understand what she had done, the terrifying events that were about to snowball beyond anyone's control, the betrayal that she'd committed.

Lajjun, though… Yeeees, Lajjun would know and understand everything. Lajjun hated Jack, hated every report Abu sent Riddick, every tiny affection he showed Jack, every small indulgence he gave Jack, every moment that Abu spent with Jack that didn't involve Ziza in some fashion.

When Riddick found out, Abu knew that Lajjun was going to die. "Fucking" with Jack was dangerous business because Jack belonged to Riddick…

Even if neither one of them admitted it yet.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_New Mecca_

The sun was too bright in her face. Why were her curtains open? She distinctly remembered closing her curtains.

Janice's chatter was in the background. Who had turned Janice on? Janice was only on when Jack was writing in her journal or playing music…

She smelled food. Waffles, bacon, bananas, and a whiff of eggs. Her mouth salivated. She hadn't had bacon since just before the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crash, as bacon was a pork product and pork was forbidden on New Mecca.

There was a scent of wild animal in her room. The scent of Riddick. He was _really_ here. She hadn't dreamed him in the delirium of the sand flu.

She felt that she was on top of her covers, dressed only in her bra and panties, both soaked with fever sweat. Riddick must have undressed her….

That was when she realized that Riddick had undressed her more than she'd originally thought. Her bra and panties were mismatched. One was old Earth Flemish lace and the other New Austrian.

"Janice?!"

"Oh, Jack, you're awake! Thank God! You won't believe what that Furyan asshole threatened to do to me!" Janice gushed. "He threatened to _hack_ me! _Me!_ After that, I started a trid recording. Your Big Evil is a real bitch!"

Jack chuckled, mentally doing some square roots to check her competence at the moment. _One is one, four is two…_

"Janice, pull up trid of when he changed my clothes. Volume at fifty-percent and crystal clear clarity with the sound."

Janice's expression on the computer screen froze. "I… don't think that's wise, Jack."

"Play the damned trid, Janice."

The computer sighed, "Playing."

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Riddick walked into the room, carrying a bowl of water and several washcloths. His facial expression betrayed concern and fear.

_What could make Richard Riddick afraid?_ Jack wondered.

He sponged off her face gently as her body shook, sweating profusely with tiny gasping moans.

"_Riddick!!!"_ she screamed, eyes wide with terror and unseeing.

"I'm here, Jack. Always here for you."

"No, you aren't. You went away. You left me and the mercs came. Why aren't my eyes like your's? I've killed people, Riddick," she whimpered.

"Mercs don't count, Jack. Mercs are scum. How long they been comin' here, Jack?"

"Since right before my sixteenth birthday. A couple of days after the 'tags started feelin' funny. Ziza had accidentally taken them, but they looked the same."

Riddick looked at the dogtags and cursed. "Fuckin' hell, kid. Those ain't my tags."

"I know that you're in my head, Riddick, but give me enough strength to get undressed, please? You know how I hate sweaty clothing."

He gained an expression she didn't recognize. "Jack, you don't know what you're sayin'. Fuck, you don't know what the hell you're askin'."

His hands went to the hem of her shirt, though, carefully lifting it. Her arms went up and the shirt went over her head. One giant finger brushed down her shirt, infinitely gentle.

His eyes narrowed and he muttered, "Shut up, you stupid animal. She's different. She's more important than that. Too important for that."

"Janice, freeze and zoom on his face."

The scene stopped and Jack went breathless, her heart beating far too fast. She knew then. Knew Richard Riddick's darkest secret. She knew with the certainty of a sixteen-year-old young woman who was far too mature for her years.

Richard Bryan Riddick, convict, murderer, sociopath, escape artist, genius, was _in love_ with _her_. Head over heels in love…_ with Jack Richards!_

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Riddick heard Jack when she got up and started moving. Her fever had broke early yesterday, but he'd given her another dose of sedative. He wanted her to have a little bit more rest. A body scan had revealed that she'd been up for days.

He could hear her addressing the computer as she moved around. She was still weak, as he couldn't quite make out the words, but he wasn't going up there to see if she needed help, taking the chance that she was still mostly nude.

_Damn you, Holy Man. You _know_ why I left. It was _your _idea that I leave. To give her stability, a chance to mature. What the _fuck_ is the idea of calling me back? How am I supposed to live with temptation this fuckin' close?_

He heard the shower turn on, then the music. Then a scream of _"Survivor!!!"_

Riddick shook his head with a small laugh. Yeah, Jack was a survivor. He could hear her shouting the lyrics with the song. She was definitely feeling better.

He mused about her journal entries. She may believe that she was losing her mind, but Riddick knew exactly what it was. She had the fury, like him, the inner animal that was too close to the skin. He knew the violent urges of her age.

Mate, kill, fight, feed. She had killed. She had fought. She may have even fed off the emotions of her kills, but she had never mated. He would have smelled it on her.

_Because she is ours_

Riddick shuddered at the possessive wave that washed over him. He couldn't help it. He had touched her, ran his finger down the so-sensitive flesh of her neck, pushed her back on the bed with a gentle hand on her stomach. He was the first to touch those places. To blend his scent with hers like that.

"Riddick?" came a soft voice.

He turned around and groaned inwardly._ Not fair, Jack. Not fuckin' fair. You can't dress like that. You ain't supposed to dress like that._

She was dressed in a ripped green tank top that revealed more of her stomach than it covered, jeans that were just at the point of being too tight against her rather fantastic ass, and a pair of boots that transformed her from coltish elegance to mile-long fuck-me-now legs.

If this was how she normally dressed, Riddick couldn't really blame Lajjun for calling the mercs. None of her more private areas were revealed, but it was as if she were screaming, "I'm here and no one can touch me."

Hell, she could have made Holy Man's most sacred Prophet think dirty. Who could blame a mere man like Riddick from hardening to the point of pain and wishing most desperately that New Mecca had whores?

"Yeah, Kid?"

_That's right. She's 'Kid.' She's too young. Too inexperienced. To touch her would surely damn me. Not as if murdering sixty-something people hasn't damned me, but to touch her would be a fuckin' shame._

"Is breakfast ready? Or do I have time to take a small run through the training program?"

_Is she really there, Riddick, or are you imagining her because you need her?_ queried his beast. _Admit it, you've seen her standing in that exact same position in less than that. Could it be that your prudishness has you imagining her there in that rough resemblance to clothing?_

He didn't want to admit it. Was it possible that he was having a delusion because having her so close, but unaware, was painful?

It was possible… There was a way to tell, though.

"C'mere, Kid."

She walked forward, the steps silent. He knew then that it was a delusion and he was free to act as he wished. It wasn't as if he hadn't taken her a hundred times in his dreams.

His arms went around her and he tipped her head up. "Sorry, Kid."

His lips met hers and the beast roared in satisfaction…


	5. Chapter 4 The Girl All The Bad Guys Want

**Chapter Four- The Girl All The Bad Guys Want**

**Planet Frontier Augustus- New Roma**

_Eight years after Chapter Three_

Riddick sighed as he looked at all the signs. They were advertising some band that was _'promoting the return of old Earth rock in New Frontier fashion!'_ The front woman was a tall brunette with piercing eyes regularly hidden behind a pair of shades. The trid-V ads showed her as about five-ten, maybe one-thirty, leggy and unafraid to enhance the already mile-long legs with leather pants that looked painted on. Her hair was carefully tamed into a braid that reached her heart-shaped ass that couldn't possibly be anything but natural.

She moved with a grace that Riddick had often been said to possess. Warrior's grace, it was called. He could tell that she'd handled weapons, once upon a time. Maybe blades? Nah, no one did blades anymore but Richard B. Riddick, and Riddick had died six years ago, from mysterious circumstances.

The same time that Audrey Richards had disappeared from New Mecca and been reported dead. A suicide, from all accounts. There was only one flaw in Jack's story. If Jack had suicided, Imam would have called Riddick.

There had never been a call.

_Dumb move, Jack. If you'd never wanted to see me again, that's all you had to say. You didn't act like you never wanted to see me again, Kid. Hell, you wanted more and so did I._

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_She tasted of honey and silk. He moaned as she moved closer, her arms going around his neck. No whore had ever welcomed him like this. There had never been a kiss that was this important, this intoxicating._

She's real. She's here.

"_Make me stop, Jack. I won't stop unless you tell me to," he whispered, voice harsh and tortured._

_Her arms went tight around his neck and the beast roared in satisfaction._

She doesn't want you to stop! You don't have to stop! Take her, make her our mate!

_He pushed her against the wall, placing small open-mouthed kisses against her neck and shoulder. She mewled and the blood rushed from his head to other, far more interesting parts of his anatomy. Her heart was pounding, the pulse obvious in the hollow of her collarbone. _

_He could see the reds, silvers, and purples rolling off her body as he lifted her. "Forgive me, Jack. I can't be slow. I can't do slow this time."_

_She kissed him and shook her head. "Less talking, more moaning."_

_He held her against the wall with his hips as he pulled out a shiv and sliced her clothes off. She ripped his shirt in her rush to get it off. It was going to be a violent, fast, dominating mating. He couldn't give her the gentleness that she deserved, the slow 'thank you' for making him more human than animal. He couldn't be human enough right now to treat her with care._

She deserves better!

She wants you! US! _the beast screamed, defiant. _For once, no restraint, no need to hide. Bury inside of her, make her home!

_He shuddered as his hands shoved down his pants just enough to get his cock out. She was wet and writhing against his hips._

_He shoved inside of her, barely aware when she screamed in pain…He'd just taken her innocence and he'd never known._

x-x-x-x-x-x-

He was little better than a rapist, in truth. He'd taken her, buried himself inside her with no hesitation, the most indelicate of foreplay. He'd known that possessing her would change things but he'd never expected Jack to hate him. Yes, there had been some pain, but if she'd given him a second chance, he'd have made it better.

Instead, afterwards, she'd ran up to her room, face pale and her hands over her stomach. Her virginity ran down the kitchen wall, a brilliant red stain against the sunny yellow of the room.

_She didn't want it after all. And I hurt her to have it. You're no better than the monster they call you, Riddick. You're just as heartless as they all say. You didn't have to touch her, but you wanted to and you swept her up before she could decide what _she_ wanted. That was what was important, what _she_ wanted, not you, you great pinhead. She was too young, too inexperienced, and you fucked her like you would a whore._

Yeah, despite his full intent to 'make love' to Jack, he'd been rough and borderline abusive. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was abuse towards women, and mercs didn't count. Yet, what had he done to the only woman who'd ever mattered?

_No wonder you didn't come back downstairs, Jack. I wouldn't have wanted to face me either, if I'd been you. It wasn't what you were expecting, but who were you to fuckin' think that you, out of how many billions in the galaxy, could get Richard Riddick to be gentle? Fuck you, too, Kid._

He took a third- or was it his fourth?- drink of scotch, taking a long deep pull from the bottle. He really was scum, but he was a hell of a lot more fun drunk.

"_And tonight, at the New Coliseum, it's Stellar, the galaxy-famed band! One night only, with only three hundred tickets left, fifteen backstage passes included! Come see Victoria, Ken, and Mario perform such old Earth hits as _'Prayer', 'Home', 'One', _and_ 'Fully Alive'!_ Tickets are limited."_

The voice came on and Riddick's eyes went wide. It was _her!_

"_This is Victoria. Come see Stellar as we perform in your home system. This is a one night show, so you'd best hurry. Our shows always make your entertainment news, so would you rather be there, or hear all about it later?"_ She smiled, her eyes seductively, artistically, enhanced. They weren't just that sparkling green he adored, but a smoky emerald that promised a soft, sexy atmosphere and things that he had introduced her body to. Despite his rough taking of her, he'd known that she'd came before he did. He made damned sure of it.

"Computer, call the Coliseum. Secure a backstage pass to the Stellar concert."

"Placing call…. Ticket is four hundred credits."

"Charge it," he snapped, glad that, unlike Jack's computer, this one didn't have AI. Janice would have never tolerated Riddick snapping at her.

"Charging."

May Holy Man's God have mercy on Audrey Richards when he saw her again. Because he had sworn that after he took her for the first time, he'd never leave her alone. And she'd ran away, leaving the mystery of who called the mercs on her, of who betrayed her, of how they could find a way together unsolved.

They were supposed to have found a way together. Alphas didn't change mates like that. Alphas were forever. She was _his_.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Vic-tor-ia! Vic-tor-ia!"

The crowds were screaming and Victoria Blanchett grinned. "A'ight, boys. Are we ready?"

Kenny Smith, guitarist extraordinaire, smirked. "Why, Jack, have you ever known us to let you down? We've trip-checked the sounding, the acoustics, the line-up, and everything."

Mario was silent. Then again, with the earbuds constantly in his ears, you never knew what music he was listening to, or if he was listening to music at all. Mario was the drummer, mainly because he liked pounding on things, be it an instrument or a person.

Mario reminded her strongly of Riddick, but without the shine job or the criminal record. Mario was about as clean as they came. A few assaults in his past, but most dismissed as self-defense. Plus, both were one-name men, by their own preference. If Mario had a surname, Jack had never heard it.

She missed Riddick, when she was in a mood to be honest. That was why she'd become a rock star in the first place. When he'd ran off after that afternoon in the kitchen, she knew that she'd done something terrible. She hadn't been able to satisfy him and he'd run off to a whore, leaving the planet so fast that she never got to say goodbye. She wanted to apologize, ask for a second chance. She hadn't meant to be a disappointment to him, but she hadn't possessed the experience to please him.

She shouldn't still love him, especially after that afternoon tryst. She'd given him her best 'come hither' look afterwards, trying to lure him into her room, and he disappeared. Disappeared like he'd never been there.

At least he'd had the courtesy to clean her virginity off the wall. Though that would have put Lajjun's accusations about her and Abu to rest. She gave a small hysterical laugh inside her mind. At least Abu had gotten rid of that witch not too long after his trip to New Medina. He'd sent her on her way, back to the Orion Belt, and kept Ziza, spoiling her outrageously.

"_If you can do that to anyone, even a woman you think is causing your husband's infidelity, you deserve to be divorced, Lajjun. No amount of begging will convince me to keep you. You are an unsatisfactory wife and a hopeless mother. Do not come to Ziza again."_

"Victoria! Show starts in five. Are you ready?" yelled the stage manager. Jack nodded, zipping up her boots and making sure that the chandelier earrings were fastened. Her hands were shaking, just like they always did before a show. She'd done this so many times, but the nerves always came.

Kenny would be at the second mike, waiting, one foot braced on the speaker as he slowly strummed a few chords, not really hinting at what they'd actually be playing. Mario would be behind the drum-glass, twirling his second set of sticks, having already thrown the first set to the crowd. Both of the young women that had caught the drumsticks were about to be escorted backstage as soon as Jack was clear on the stage.

"Victoria, three minutes. Start up to the stage in ten seconds."

Jack often wondered what Lajjun had done to cause Abu to finally divorce her. And she mused about it again as she walked towards the stage ramp.

The only thing Jack could figure was that Lajjun was the one to switch the tags and had called the mercs on her. That was the only thing that Jack could think of that would piss Abu off so badly. In his own way, Abu had loved Lajjun. As far as Jack knew, Abu had _never_ betrayed Lajjun.

Jack left not too long after the divorce was finalized. Ziza had taken to calling Jack 'mama', something that frightened Jack. Especially after the news came.

Two months after Richard Riddick left New Mecca, Jack discovered that she was pregnant.

And the father was no where to be found.

A tech handed her the program for the night and she viewed the songs quickly. A wild start for the concert, one of her favorite songs was at the top of the program.

'Ten Thousand Fists'.

She could hear Mario begin the drum intro and she began to sprint to the stage. She was running late. So late, in fact, that she didn't notice when one of the shadows behind the stage moved and silver eyes glared at her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sorry, my dear reviewers. I know that this update took far too long, but I couldn't get the kiss between Riddick and Jack just right, so I decided to skip some time and make it a powerful, poignant memory for both.

Oh, and PagingDr.House, I hope this satisfied your need for J/R smut. It wasn't much, but it was important.


	6. Chapter 5 Never Forget The Sight

**Honey76:** Thanks for the review, and the patience. I'm glad that someone figured out that I really fucked Riddick and Jack up on purpose. We've all seen the stories where they get together too quickly and everything's too 'happily-ever-after'. Didn't want that to happen in my story, no matter how tempting. LOL! And, yeah, this is what happens when men _think_, God love 'em.

**PagingDrHouse-Furyan Goddess:** Yes, Jackie girl got knocked up, but she didn't do it by herself, silly! And you'll find out if she kept it or not. She _was_ just 16, y'know.

And, yes, they both think that the other hates them. I mean, she was an innocent, of course the first time wasn't going to be perfect, right? And then Riddick has this whole super-guilty complex that makes you wanna smack him!

But, don't think that just because Jack killed off Audrey Richards that she isn't still a badass. She's still hard on the outside and softly Riddick's on the inside. LOL!

_Age check:_ Riddick is thirty-eight, and Jack (Victoria Blanchett) is twenty-four.

**Chapter Five: Never Forget The Sight**

_Frontier Augustus_

"_Survivor!"_ Jack screamed, thrusting her fist into the sky and jumping up and down. _"Survivor!"_

The crowd automatically came to attention and began shouting with her, the mosh pit already well formed and wild. They hopped up and down in waves and she automatically tuned the movements of her body to those waves.

_One more goddamn day when I know what I want  
And my want will be considered tonight, considered tonight  
Just another day when all that I want  
Will mark me as a sinner tonight, I'm a sinner tonight, yeah_

_People can no longer cover their eyes  
If this disturbs you then walk away  
You will remember the night you were struck by the sight of  
Ten thousand fists in the air  
_

She loved this song, the power of the music, the screamed lyrics. She could picture herself screaming it at Riddick, because, for one small space of time, her want had been considered.

She wondered what he would think of her becoming a rock star. She was sure that Riddick had expected her to wait for him to return to New Mecca after their completely fucked up tryst. When she had discovered that she was expecting, she knew that she had to run.

Richard Riddick was not father material. She could trust him to watch her back, to die for her, but she didn't think she could trust him with her child. He would have freaked, said she did it on purpose.

_Power un-restrained dead on the mark  
Is what we will deliver tonight, deliver tonight  
Pleasure fused with pain this triumph of the soul  
will make you shiver tonight, will make you shiver tonight, yeah_

She had sinned greatly the day that she allowed Riddick to possess her. He reshaped her world, giving her the greatest pleasure, the greatest pain, the greatest denial. He had given her a taste of heaven, only to condemn her back to the darkness. No other had shared her body since that day, because she was afraid that her love for him would overwhelm her common sense and her safety as Victoria Blanchett would be ruined, making the mercs come after her again. She couldn't risk it. Not when there was Alexander to consider in this disaster.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

He watched her body move, faintly sexual in the violence of the music. This song, or parts of it, was highly personal to her. She wanted someone to see her, to cease denying her. She was addressing someone. Someone she missed and, from the scent in the air, desired highly.

_Could she have missed me after all?_

A tiny hand slipped into his. He jerked away and stared. A little boy, maybe six or seven, looked up at him. His eyes were silver, shining in the dark of backstage.

"Yo, kid, where'd ya get eyes like 'em?" he asked, curious. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that he was looking at himself, thirty years ago. The boy's skin was like milk with a drop of coffee dumped in, his posture erect and perfect. Tiny muscles threaded through his arms and legs, shown off by the black tank top and tan cargo shorts. Someone had dressed him with care. He wasn't a street urchin.

"My dad had 'em," the kid replied. "Mama says that I'm blessed because most people only get 'em after they've killed a few people, and mercs don't count. Then-"

"You get sent to a slam where they tell you you'll never see the light of day again."

"You pay a slam quack twenty menthol Kools to shine your eyes so no one'll ever get the slip on you again. Hey, mister, how'd you know?"

"Who's your ma?"

"My mama's Victoria Blanchett, the lead singer of Stellar."

_Jack. This kid is Jack's. But… No. It's not possible. She wouldn't have done that. She was on birth control, wasn't she?_

Why couldn't he remember that important detail? Was she, at sixteen, on some form of birth control? Had he asked? He didn't know, but he was afraid that he hadn't and she wasn't. It could be that… He had to know, even if the knowledge would forever change his life, he had to know. He took a calming breath, for once actually afraid. What if Jack hadn't done the predictable and had given him a different last name? "What's your name, Kid?"

"I'm Alex. Alexander Riddick. Mama says that the stork meant to deliver me to Riddick to give him hell, but his nav comp got messed up, so he brought me to Mama. She loves him, you know?" Alex whispered in a confidential tone. "She cries for him in her sleep in this funny voice."

_My son. I… have a son._

"What kind of funny voice, Alex?"

Riddick choked on his whisky when the boy did a fair imitation of a breathless, panting Jack. The kind of Jack that he'd only held once. And.. she loved him, still? How? He'd done something unbelievably awful to her.

Then again, she'd kept his son from him. Maybe two awful things could cancel each other out.

"Do you know what happened to your dad?"

"He's not my dad!" Alex snapped, silver eyes narrowing in familiar fury. "Ken's my dad! Riddick is just a part of my biology. He didn't want me, so Mama ran away from home. She was sixteen when he fucked-"

"Watch your mouth, kid." Where the fuck did a seven-year-old learn the word 'fuck' and what it meant? _Damn precocious little brat_, Riddick thought, already fond of the kid.

"Fine. When he bungled the attempt to make love to her. Is that better? Damn, I thought you security guards had heard it all. Never thought I'd have one telling me to watch my mouth."

"Where did you learn this story?"

"Ken told me. He says that Mama told him."

Riddick growled. Someone was gonna be hurting by the time this was through. He couldn't believe that Jack would tell her son- _their_ son- a lie such as that. Which meant that Ken knew the truth and had embellished it in order to hurt an innocent seven-year-old. Ken wanted something, possibly wanted Jack, and that was something that Riddick could never permit.

Yet, how was he going to be father to a boy that had been programmed to hate him?

"So, what happened to Riddick, kid?"

"Mama says he's in hiding. That he's not really dead."

_Damn, Jack. You still know my ways._

"Would you like to meet Riddick?"

The kid bristled, the fury returning. "I see that man and I'm killing him. He hurt Mama. Broke her heart."

_She broke what I knew of mine, too, kid. Took everything that was remotely human with her._

"That's fair. But you wouldn't give him a chance?"

"Only if Mama asked me to."

He half-smiled, which looked more like a facial twitch. "Then, we need to wait on your ma."

Alex gasped, eyes going wide. "You're-"

"Shut up, kid."

Alex did as Riddick asked, but in an unusual fashion. Alexander Gabriel Riddick fainted.


	7. Chapter 6 Fate's Finest Cruelty

**Honey76: **You wanted 'em to talk, riiiight? Here's your request. This chapter is all about Jack and Riddick talking. Well, that and Jack indulging in a little bondage fantasy… LOL!

**Chapter Six: Fate's Finest Cruelty**

_Frontier Augustus_

Jack finally exited the stage some two hours later, physically and emotionally exhausted. She had tried, like always, to pour all of her pent up energy into the music. All of her thwarted desire, misplaced love, anger, the urge to do violence, the need… All of it went into her music. Her only other outlet was when she trained with the members of security, and none of them had her skill.

And, while she may have been exhausted, she was still soaked with desire, the need for release. Tonight was one of the nights she wished she was the sorceress that the papers claimed her to be. She'd conjur Riddick up, lightly bound on her bed, and nude as the day he was born.

"_Why didn't you come back to me in New Mecca, Riddick?"_ she'd query, toying with the zipper of her leather bodice. She always wore leather on stage, half decoration and half armor. _"Couldn't you see that I wanted to shower with you? To know that your scent was all over me?"_

He'd whimper, his erection obvious and fascinatingly thick. _"Jack,"_ he would whisper, drawing her name out into that two syllable state. It was obvious he had no excuse.

"_No, Riddick. It's my turn. I get to cum this time, and you can be left wanting. The wanting is terrible, Riddick,"_ she would inform, unzipping her boots and sliding them off. _"I loved you, once, and it made the burning worse. The denial worse. Couldn't you see that I tried to please you?"_

She stalked to her ship, continuing her mental dialogue.

She'd shimmy out of her pants, taking her thong underwear off. _"Do you want me, Riddick?"_

"_Ye-ess,"_ he'd hiss. _"Jack."_

"Jack."

Wait… That wasn't part of the dialogue. That wasn't part of the fantasy. That wasn't mind-Riddick's voice. _Oh, fuck me running,_ she sighed in her head.

She looked up and into shined eyes. It was dark, but she could see his eyes, gleaming like an Earth full moon. Eyes that her son had inherited, so she'd seen them every day, breaking her heart every time. Alex was undeniably Riddick's. There wasn't much of Jack there at all.

"Hello, Richard."

She had to pray that Alex hadn't been on her ship yet, that he was still at Mario's. As long as Riddick didn't know of Alex's existence, she knew that he'd leave. After all, that was what he did best, fuck and run.

But it was nice to see her heart again. Even if she had to lose it.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

'_Richard.'_

She had first-named him. Was it like that now? Were they really dealing with each other as two adults, not convict-hero and rescued kid, Riddick and Jack?

Could she be hoping that he didn't know about Alex?

"Who the _fuck_ taught my son to _faint?"_ he snapped, testing the waters. When she paled and took the nearest seat, he knew. He trembled with suppressed rage.

He would kill for Jack, but he couldn't kill _her_.

_How _dare_ she?!_ the beast roared. _She's our mate, he's our cub. They are ours and she has _no_ right to deny us!_

_If it wasn't for you, you shithead, we wouldn't be in this mess,_ he roared back.

"Who says he's yours, Richard? Is he your's like I was? To be used when needed and told that he doesn't matter, is nothing to you, when it's convenient. Fuck you, Richard Bryan Riddick. Alex deserves better. I've _given_ him better."

His voice went low and deadly, hoping to intimidate her slightly. It had never worked in the past, but, after eight years, maybe she had changed in that aspect. "Why didn't you contact me, tell me?"

Her eyes spat hurt fire. "So you could _what_? Tell me to 'get rid of the problem?' Isn't that what you told the whore on Hephaestus Station? I got pregnant less than six months after her. You couldn't have grown up enough to accept responsibility in that short amount of time. No, you're _Riddick_, irresponsibility personified. When things get tough, or a little rough, you_ run_," she sneered, the contempt more than obvious.

"Audrey!" he drawled, warning her again.

"Fuck that, Richard. You wouldn't have been able to sit through cholic, chicken pox, and the hundred other normal childhood illnesses like an _adult_. You wouldn't be able to sit through a one hundred and four degree fever, biting your nails to your shoulders in worry, baby vomit on your shirt, and not lose control. You are not parent material. You're like a tiger, you have no affection for mate or offspring."

His hand snaked out, wrapping around her throat and shoving her against the wall. For all that she was right, she had no right to address him like that, to say all of those things without having gave him a chance.

"I've killed men for saying a hell of a lot less than what you've said, runnin' that fuckin' piehole of your's, Jack."

She looked at him in fearless disgust. "Proving my point."

_Oh, I could strangle her. So stubborn, so hard-headed… so perfect, still so perfect._

He closed his eyes, almost in pain. Was this what they meant when they said that your heart could break? Could he really be becoming more human than animal? His hand was bruising her skin, he could see it happening, but he couldn't let her go.

He frowned when he smelled desire. Had she been wet when she came in the ship, or was his careless treatment of her the cause? He shook his head. _No. Not Jack. Jack wouldn't be the kind to get off on this kind of shit._

"What happened to my Jack? The female mini-me that couldn't wait to travel the galaxy with her outlaw hero?"

She snorted, a very un-Victoria Blanchett action. "She got fucked, got pregnant and grew up real fast. In a quick fuckin' hurry. Knew that the so-called hero wouldn't fuckin' meet her half-way, so she tried to get lost in the big fuckin' galaxy, only to have the fucktard she was runnin' from find her eight fuckin' years too late," she snapped, sounding more and more like the old Jack with every word.

"Do you realize you just used the word 'fuck' six times?" he informed before scenting her. He could smell despair, grief, desire, her base scent of spiced vanilla… He could smell 'child' all over her and quickly realized that Alex wasn't the only child in her life.

But he couldn't smell another male on her. Not in an intimate fashion, anyway.

She relaxed slightly, eyes closing. He had to ask now. This might be the only chance he had.

"Why did you run from the kitchen, Jack?" The 'from me' was left unspoken.

She opened her eyes, the confusion evident. "I didn't run from the kitchen. I wanted to get the blood off of both of us in the shower."

He froze, smelling pure truth. That meant… He could have had his mate and his child for the past eight years.

The misunderstanding.

Fate's cruelest joke


	8. Chapter 7 Jack's December

**Author's Note: ** Okay, don't be mad at me. The characters were being jackasses and my muses left me and sniffles then my stupid boyfriend dumped me…. Which lead to an all-night Riddick marathon so I could drool over Vin Diesel and forget what's-his-face. So… Forgive the delay and please do your wonderful reader thing and review! Mwas!!!

**Chapter Seven: Jack's Private December**

_**Frontier Augustus**_

Jack looked at him as he scented her, then the brief flash of devastation in his eyes. She wasn't sure what was going on, why she had seen him look so hurt, so destroyed. She suddenly felt uncertain.

"Jack, how many children are on this tour?"

She frowned, more confused than before. "Eight. Alex, Isabella, Musciaa, Melody, Annabella, Sean, Blake, and Jared."

He sniffed her again, his face moving down her neck. "Who belongs to who?"

"Sean and Blake are Mario's, Musicaa, Annabella, and Melody belong to two of the techs, I think it's Abrahm and Gavriella. Jared is a 'stray' we all adopted. Alex and Isabella are mine."

He stiffened. "Yours?"

She nodded, her eyes going vague at the memory as she smiled softly. "I adopted Izzy when she was just a baby. Just days old. Alex was three and wanted a baby sister so badly for Christmas. I wanted a baby to hold again."

"A… dopted?"

She looked away, unable and unwilling to admit that she had tried to sleep with another man, but had messed up, had felt inadequate, unaroused. "Yes, adopted."

He eased her down the wall, but didn't let her go. He held her, instead. Held her like she had craved eight years ago after their disastrous tryst. Possessively, tightly.

She felt her will power snap. She lifter her hands to cradle his face before brushing her lips against his.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

He shuddered. Could it all still be there? He could remember vividly how powerful he felt when he had been buried in her, suckling at her breasts as he swelled…

He caught her mouth, gently chewing her lower lip before kissing her deeply. She was the only thing in the universe that made complete sense, the only existence that he couldn't bear to think about being extinguished.

She moaned when he ran his finger down her zippered bodice. Supple leather that molded to her flesh like it wasn't even there. The kind of black leather that was part body armor and part seduction. And she had always rocked his world when it came to seduction.

No woman had satisfied him since her. He could move in a woman for hours, making her scream countless times, but it meant nothing to him because it wasn't her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd tried to cum in another woman, a fruitless exercise because something about her had taken away his pleasure in woman's flesh, unless it was her.

Was this love or obsession, he wondered. Did it matter what it was as long as she was there, with him, her flesh molding to his body even through their clothes?

"Riddick," she breathed, her breasts heaving in leather that barely contained them. If he'd ever seen a more erotic, more sensual sight, he couldn't recall it.

"Jack. My Jack."

She moaned again and his lips went down her neck, nipping and reacquainting himself with her taste. Oh, he would never tell her how much he had missed that lemon, rosemary, and vanilla scent of hers.

But now, it was better, so much better. She tasted adult, tasted like a mother. There was the taste of milk and honey, lemon and rosemary, vanilla and cinnamon. She was more delicious now than she had been eight years ago.

It was unbelievable. He had always heard that some things tasted better if you had them rarely, but he had never believed it until this moment.

And this moment, the only thing that made sense was her, the only thing he wanted was to surge into her so deep that she forgot her own name...

But never forgot his.

_Make her scream,_ the beast roared for the first time in ages. He had felt almost empty without the constant urgings of his primative side. _Make her remember that Alphas are forever. She left you, left us. Abandoned us. Lied to us. Denied us our child. _Our child!_ Punish her. Make her _hitari-kna-freozki_ and make her accept it. Tie her to us._

Riddick shuddered at the mental visuals going on behind his closed lids. She was already against a wall. It would be so simple to cut the leather off her body.

"No."

He opened his eyes at that one word. "What?"

"I said no. We're not doing this. You're not fuckin' me and runnin' again, Riddick. I'm not going through it again. Besides, you're the only one who gets something from it."

He cursed under his breath, barely where he could hear it. He had completely fucked up the first time and, eight years later, he was still gonna fuckin' pay for it.

"Jack, what happened back then was-"

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Both of them looked at the ship's door.

"Were you expecting someone, Jack?" he asked possessively.

"Only Alex and Izzy. Were you expecting someone, Riddick?"

"Only you."

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"Richard!!! Get out here!!!" came a lightly accented voice from outside. Jack's eyes went deadly.

"Oh, really, _Richard_? Then you won't mind me playing Who's The Better Killer, now will you?"

He gritted his teeth. "Actually, in this instance, despite how tempting it is, you can't."

"Why?"

"Because, that's my cargo."

Jack froze.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Oh, God. This really are worse than I thought. He's a slave trafficker... How did this happen!?_


	9. Chapter 8 Riddick, Dehumanized

**Author's Note:** Okay, this just proves the usefulness of the 'M' rating. There are references to rape, suicide, child abuse, insanity, murder, drug use, and child molestation in this one chapter alone... Well, the beginning of it anyway. My dearest friend, Ted King (you know who you are, Teddy-bear! 3 and hope you return to RB one day. I miss my favorite Drag King!), helped me write the beginning of this chapter about a year ago. It was supposed to be a one shot about how Riddick finally became aware of his beast, but this works so much better.

To the person who said that they couldn't see Jackie-girl as a rock star. She's bad, she knows it, and she doesn't give a fuck who else knows it. What better occupation for a girl that doesn't give a fuck what society thinks and, due to being on a crashed ship, doesn't really even exist? People can always speculate who she is, where she's really from, but no one can know. Paparazzi's such a bitch. LOL!

**Chapter Eight: Riddick Dehumanized**

_Earth, Fifteen Years Before __**Pitch Black**_

His hands were shaking so badly he could hardly read the words on the paper clutched between his white-knuckled fingers. The ugly words jumped and twisted around desperately, like flies trapped in the fatal spider's web, bloated and grotesque in their struggle for freedom. There were reams and reams of the words, all in his own handwriting, advising him to fuck off and die and detailing how best he could do it. How he could take so many with him. He couldn't remember writing them… was sure he hadn't written them…

His eyes skipped frantically back and forth, more erratic than REM as he shuffled through the multitude of pages, his blood running, burning hot and chilling cold, as his own unknown writings informed him what a pathetic, worthless loser he was.

With a low moan of confused fear, he slowly put the papers down on his desk, transferring all of his weight onto his flattened hand as he suddenly became convinced that he was about to collapse. His staring eyes went down to his hand, not even seeing how all the veins were standing out as if trying to escape the crazed body they were forced to inhabit. Instead, his eyes focused on the slashes decorating his forearm, the sight of them making his breath catch in his throat.

Someone must have rolled his shirt sleeve up, fastidiously unbuttoning then re-buttoning the cuff to keep it just below his elbow, because he had been making sure to keep his sleeves rolled down ever since finding the gauntlet of vicious cuts on his arm. They stood out an angry red on his tanned skin, the flesh around each one pinched and raised. In his mind, he could see it as clearly as when he had been confronted with the sight a few days ago – the bathroom sink washed crimson and the dripping razor blade, his own arm bleeding feely and him with no recollection of how it had all come to be.

He sank slowly down to the floor, a sitting fetal position, back cradled painfully against the wall. He put his head in his hands, the cold sweat on his skin slicking his bone dry palms. What the fuck was happening to him?

The only thing to do was ignore it, just as he had done before, to the cuts and to the… no, he must ignore it. To exist something must be taken notice of, and he couldn't be hurt by something that wasn't real.

_Oh really?_

He shook his head slightly, his ears must have been ringing, because he knew that he hadn't heard that taunting hiss, laughing at how easy reality is to break. Numbly, just going through the motions just as he went through every day of his life, he ripped the papers up and took them outside to burn the savaged pieces. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, everyone fades to nothing in the end, after all we were merely born to die.

Moving on legs that didn't feel connected to his body, he went upstairs to the bathroom and rested his hands on the cold lip of the sink. It felt nicely solid and real beneath his hands, so he held on tightly lest it should sip away from him and leave him pin wheeling through fairytale madness.

"I'm not insane." He spoke up in a rusty voice that only shook a little, and the sound of it made him jump. "Not insane," he repeated, braver this time. He raised his head to stare at his reflection in the mirror, not seeing anything for a moment. Then his eyes focused and all his reassurances meant nothing, because he was met with the face of insanity. Lips cracked and leaking blood, eyes no more comprehending than the animal snared in the hunter's trap.

_Pathetic, insane little shit._

He winced. "Did you hear anything? 'Cause I sure as hell didn't." He grinned at his reflection and listened to its forced laughter. Richard Bryan Riddick sighed quietly. Something was growling in him, purring in a devastating manner.

_I can make you stronger. None would fuck with you. Power of life and death. Your name can be known galaxy-wide. Just listen to me, acknowledge me, trust me._

Riddick froze and looked back in the mirror. He wasn't looking at himself, but he saw a man, large and handsome, darkly tanned and mysterious looking back at him. The man smirked, sliding a curved blade from a pocket. The blade was bloodied and black, coated with dried and wet blood. Then, he saw himself.

He was weak-shouldered, pimpled, too pale, weak to the point of ridicule. He was not the man that he'd just seen. He couldn't see himself becoming that man. Not without some serious help.

_I can make you him. Make you so desirable that you'll never have to pay for a whore again. You're pathetic. But I can make you more, Richard. Just trust me. I've been with you your whole life._

He turned from the mirror and looked up at the sky. _Alright. What are you?_

_I'm your beast. Your private demon. I'll show you heaven and hell, but you'll be stronger for it. Just never fight me._

Riddick laughed. He would fight when he damned well felt like it. And, in fact, it was time to deal with Bruce Bennett, the foster father.

_First rule, abuse of a woman is unacceptable,_ he informed the beast, feeding it images of what Bruce had done to Dana, who was a good woman, when Bruce was out on his drug runs or in the hospital from his seizure disorder.

The beast growled acknowledgement and agreement. _It's time, Richard. Time for us to kill. Can you do it?_

_To rescue Mrs. Dana, yes._

_Then, trust me, listen to me, feel me. Do not question me, because if you question me, you could make me make a mistake, and we don't want to go to the slam, now do we?_

Riddick paled. Slam... Not jail, not juvie, but slam. He was old enough to be sent to slam now. Ten was old enough to be sent to the slam for murder... He hesitated for a moment and the beast fed him images of other things that Bruce could be doing to Mrs. Dana. He shook with a rage he'd never felt.

He could see her tied up, arched in pain as her body was forced to accept Bruce's, though she begged him to stop. When he did stop, Riddick could see one of his foster sisters tied up beside Mrs. Dana, trembling. Bruce fondled her and Mrs. Dana at the same time, comparing their breasts, sliding his hands-

_No! Stop!_

_With me, you'll see this and much worse. Decide now._

Riddick paused. _Let's stop him. He can't keep hurting Mrs. Dana. She's _good_, not evil, not sick like me. She deserves a faithful, good mate, a man that will treat her like the being of gold she is._

Since when did he use words like 'mate?' He'd always used 'husband' or 'wife' before. He'd never used the word 'mate' before.

_Come with me, Richard. Let's become what we should be._

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Two days later, Bruce Lee Bennett was found dead in an alleyway four miles from his home. It was on the route that he normally took from his cocaine dealer's house to his home. One look at his face showed that he'd been in the middle of a convulsion when his heart was pierced, but it was never attributed to more than a drug deal gone bad and Richard Bryan Riddick was so far from the suspect list that even five years later when he was arrested for the first time, the police never attributed the murder to him.

After all, who would believe that a ten-year-old could murder and feel no guilt?

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Present day_

_Frontier Augustus_

The Serenity Lost_'s cargo hold_

Jack looked up at him in horror and he realized what she would think. No, he wasn't a slave trader. He could never see himself in that role.

"Jack, sugar, no. Never slaves. She's my cargo because she's my passenger on the Whats-'er-name. I'm just ferrying her between planets. Her name is Elizabeth Citresse and she's going to a planet called Furya. Pretty much a dead planet. Some virus or inbreeding or warmongering killed nine-tenths of the male population there about the time I was born."

"Passenger? Paying?"

He nodded and opened _The Serenity Lost_'s cargo hold.

He watched Jack take Elizabeth in, size her up. The ex-prisoner guard looked like a New Tokyo fashion reject with her tiger-pelt dyed hair, her carelessly slashed clothing, and the leather armor beneath the fabric. She was petite to the point of absurdity, but the tattoo that she displayed so proudly was the diamond of the big four.

She had guarded at Butcher's Bay, Crematoria, Slam City, and Nereid. Whatever happened, she wasn't one to be crossed and he saw Jack's reluctant respect. Very, very few women lasted long enough in the Galactic Prison System to guard at the big four, much less all four of them.

"What have you been doing in here, Richard? My god, I've smelled whorehouses with less pheromones."

Jack's eyes went wide with mortification and Riddick felt his beast lift it's head, scenting her shame, her hurt.

"Shut up, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth walked over to Jack and looked her up and down. "Never met a whore with a private ship. She's pricier than your usual, Richard."

Jack's hand flashed out in a slap that ringed through the cargo hold. "I am _not_ a whore. For your information, bitch, I'm Victoria Blanchett, the lead singer of Stellar."

"Awww, did I hurt your feelings? I won't expect backstage passes for Christmas."

Jack growled, a low sound that reverberated through Riddick's body. He knew that it was too low for most people to hear, but he saw Elizabeth turn her head and go to the balls of her feet. Jack was carefully balanced, even after all this time, she still moved on the balls of her feet. Riddick had trained Jack far too well.

"You move like a Furyan woman, Victoria."

"I was taught by a very violent man to defend myself, Elizabeth."

"You were his bitch?"

Jack laughed. "Oh, yes. And I still am, whether I want to be or not."

Riddick looked at her, stunned. _Riddick's bitch._ Did he really want her thinking that she was just his bitch? Whether she 'wanted to be or not?'

Was she more? Did he want her as more?

Elizabeth relaxed her body, having never reached for a weapon, though Jack had one hand behind her back and was still tense. "I like you, Blanchett. Or should I say Richards? Jacqueline Richards?"

Riddick glared at the woman, stunned. Who the fuck was his passenger to know about Jack? Especially under the name Jacqueline Richards? That was the name that Jack had chosen when the Holy Man had adopted her. And he'd sent a note to Riddick, expressing his displeasure with her choice of surnames. The Holy Man had been unhappy with Jack's persistence in continuing the training Riddick had started, in taking a part of Riddick into herself.

His first name as a surname. He'd been disturbed and flattered at the same time. Possessive and relieved. She was branded by him. She had chosen his name, chosen him, the beast rationalized.

The man couldn't find the room to disagree. No matter how disgusting he had found the thought of possessing the young girl, the beast had persisted. _Mate. _Hitari-kna-freozki. _Forever mate. Ours._

He had started ignoring the beast, except on Planet UV, where he'd spent six months hiding after the official report of Jack's suicide. He'd been so guilt-ridden, so horror-struck.

He pushed the thoughts from his head. He couldn't afford to think about that right now. It hadn't been a betrayal, but protective coloration. She had hidden herself and their son from him, the authorities, everyone. Where better to hide than in plain public sight?

Jack spoke first and it was with a blade to Elizabeth Citresse's throat. "How the fuck do you know about Jacqueline Richards?"


	10. Chapter 9 It Makes Me Sick

**Author's Note:** Oh, my god. You guys show so much love, so much appreciation for my little drabbles, my inept attempts to capture the power of Riddick...

Plus, none of you reported me for abuse because of the last chapter. LOL.

Anyway, here's Chapter Nine... Let's see if I can keep up with your expectations.

Oh, and if any of you can figure out what most of my chapter titles have in common, aside from the fact that they're all in this story, I'll give you Riddick tied to your bed for a whole night of whatever you want. Just take pictures for me. LMAO.

**Chapter Nine: It Makes Me Sick**

"Oh? Was I not supposed to know about you being Riddick's bitch?" Elizabeth queried, obviously amused. "Or how your son wasn't an insemination, but because Richard here fucked you seven ways to Sunday? The nose always knows, Jackie girl."

Jack's face colored angrily. No one was supposed to ever know about that afternoon. No one was supposed to realize that Alex wasn't what he seemed, that, even this young, the beast within Richard Riddick was beginning to plague his son. She wouldn't be able to train her son much more because he was getting to the point that even a light sparring session left Jack with bruises for a week.

"Mama? Why do you have your blade drawn?" came the voice of her son, her world.

"Oh, if it isn't the little bastard now. There are worlds that would pay their yearly gross income to get their hands on him. To trap the Riddick. Not very bright, are you, Jackie girl?"

"Mama, who's Jackie girl?"

"Alexi, go to your room!"

"But, Mama, she's scaring you."

"Alexi! Now!"

She was very careful to keep Alex from seeing where the blade was located. Richard could see it, could see her hesitation to kill in front of her son. God help her, she wanted more for her son, their son, than a life on the run, than a life of violence, bloodshed, and running.

"Alex, obey your mother," Riddick said in a voice that brooked no argument.

With the hated instinct of an eight-year-old, Alex put it all together, in his own way. "You're hurting her!"

Alex leapt forward in a catlike pounce, his fists balled up and ready to punch his own father. Jack shoved Elizabeth Citresse to the side, trying to land between her son and his father, certain that if Alex hit him, Riddick would retaliate and not pull his punch.

She was a moment too late.

Alex landed on Riddick, pummelling him with the power of an eight-year-old Furyan hybrid. Jack landed on Alex, pinning his arms as best she could, though he struggled to break free and nearly made her scream as the actions caused her to rip her shoulder from the socket. She wouldn't scream in front of Riddick. She had too much pride, too much strength. It may have been nearly a decade since she last saw him, but she wasn't going to let him think that the time had made her some kind of powder-puff.

"Jack, move."

She shook her head, the tears gathering. She wouldn't choose between the man she'd dreamed of her entire life and the son he had gifted her with. She couldn't. There wasn't a choice that she could live with.

"Fuck, Jack, I'm not going to strangle my own son. Move, damn you."

She rolled off them, cradling her arm and already considering what this injury would do to her concert circuit. She couldn't miss her next four dates, as all of them were on New Mecca and she desperately wanted the visit with the al-Walids. Ziza would be nearly ten by now and, for her birthday, Jack had sent forty tickets with a note for Ziza to invite her class and anyone else she wanted. She had specially arranged a space for the party, let Ziza help her choose the songs, and had even volunteered five backstage passes for the young girl and her closest friends. Of course, there was a surprise for Ziza, which involved being brought on stage and singing with Jack.

She couldn't disappoint Ziza or Alex, presuming Alex lived through his first fight with his father.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Richard Riddick was both proud and disturbed when his son leapt to the defense of his mother. He knew that liquid grace, that animalistic growl, the feral expression. His son knew the beast, knew it's whispers, it's seductive promises. His son embraced the beast like a lover that he was too young to fully know about, too young to understand.

This wasn't just a fight to defend his mother, this was a fight to be Alpha, and Richard Riddick was always an Alpha. He was never a Beta.

Riddick rolled his son under him, hoping to end this bloodlessly and earn Jack's approval. He was disgusted that Jack thought he'd kill his own child for trying to defend her. He would have raised his child to defend her anyway, so why kill the child for something he approved of?

The boy fought, rolling with Riddick, his little fists hitting everywhere he could. This wasn't a beast fight, this was an anger fight, though fuelled by the beast. The beast understood mate, feed, fight, kill. To attack because of danger to the mother was a human trait.

They rolled, trying to best the other. Damned if he'd let some eight-year-old pampered snot be his Alpha.

Riddick pinned the boy and leaned down, his teeth dangerously close to the boy's neck. "Submit."

"No."

Riddick snapped his teeth in the boy's ear. "Submit or die is the law of the jungle. Submit, Alex."

The boy relaxed and nodded. "I'll submit."

It was now that Riddick heard Jack's pained gasps for breath. He had heard the sickening sound of her shoulder leaving the socket. The sound was something that Riddick had heard before, but this was something that Riddick would never forget. He'd never forget the thought that he had hurt Jack again, within twenty-four hours of reuniting with her.

He was destroying her. Again. All over again.

She was on her back, hand clutching her lower forearm in agony. She was pale, her eyes glazed, obvious signs of shock. "I fucked everything up again, didn't I, Riddick?"

"No, Jack. You never fucked up."

She smiled and closed her eyes as her grasped her arm to shove it back in the socket. She screamed when it was popped back in, breathless. He couldn't stop the guilt that coursed through him.

Less than ten hours and she was already injured.

Mother fuck.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Elizabeth Citresse watched the fight between father and son with little interest. She'd seen it before. Before the Necromongers had come and wiped out the male population of Furya for being Furyan and refusing to submit. She wasn't surprised that Alexander Riddick's first instinct was to say 'no' when asked to submit. It was Furyan nature.

She was surprised by the care that Riddick took with the girl, Jacqueline. She'd not seen that kind of care, gentleness, tenderness, in a long time. Not since the last time a pair of _freozki_s had lived on the planet. Again, before the Necromongers, but it had been over a hundred years since the last _freozki_s had died. Lifemates, soulmates, telepathically connected for eternity, a ideal for every Furyan to wish to achieve.

How could a pair of _freozki_ exist off of Furya? There had been so many prayers to Shirai for a set of Alpha lifemates, but the pair She chose to send had never been on Furya, where one was Terra human and the other was a Furyan nobleman that had never seen his home, never set foot on the soothing soil of his homeworld.

The House of Riddick had existed since the dawn of time on Furya. More Master Generals had come from that House, had died for the Royal Family, than all the other Houses combined. They were more attuned to the beast, to danger and dishonesty. The Riddicks had been the first ones in battle with the Necromongers and the last ones to fall. The thought that the House of Riddick was dead had greatly grieved Queen Tuaran, until word of Richard Riddick had reached Her Majesty's ears and Shirai had said to send Elizabeth Citresse to hunt for the man. The Lady Goddess was not a woman to be defied, nor lightly disregarded.

Elizabeth had been exiled from her homeworld, her home estate, her family, her friends, by _Her_. She'd been shoved into the prison system as a guard and had requested the Riddick files. After passing a background check, she was assigned as a permanent guard to Riddick.

She had often wondered why Riddick had never tried to escape on her shift. Why he had never killed her. Did his beast sense her's and instinctively desire to mate with her?

She had shuddered at the thought. To mate with a Riddick was not something to be taken lightly. To a woman like what Elizabeth used to be, pampered and never really expected to mate because males were too few and Terra humans broke too easily, mating with a Riddick male was unthinkable, though it had been highly desirable before the Necromongers. Riddick males were virile, powerful, influential, protective, and, if the stories that Elizabeth had read in the journal of a much older cousin many times removed, who had lived before the Fall, extremely sexual with the prowess of a _kestra'che'arn_, the Healers of Furya who treated any ailment, even impotence, never hesitating to share their body with a patient in need.

Elizabeth had longed to be a _kestra'che'arn_, but her abilities lay elsewhere, thus far unknown.

"Start talkin', Citresse. I want to know how you knew about the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crash," Riddick growled.

"Because, you fuckin' moron, I was supposed to be on that damned flight to take you to the Trip-Max," she snarled back. "Just because I can change my scent doesn't mean I'm forgettable!"

Jack cursed tiredly. "Friend or foe?"

"Neither. All I want is to get back to Furya. I want to go fuckin' home."

**Author's Note, Part Deux:**

Okay, this is one of those chapters that came to me at two A.M. and I had to type it out before I went back to sleep. Sorry it's so short, but at least I didn't do another cliffie. And don't tempt me to.

The word _kestra'che'arn_ is borrowed from the Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey. (Yes, I have very diverse interests.) For more about what a _kestra'chern_ (or _kestra'che'arn_) is and does, please read _The Valdemar Companion_. There's a full explanation about what a _kestra'chern_ is in the 'K' section.


	11. Chapter 10 Lips Like Morphine

**Author's Note:** It had to happen. Riddick and Jack are moving to a different planet, which forces Jack to confront their past as lovers, her betrayal, and everything. Soooo, this is a lighter chapter, fulfilling a fantasy of my own... Always wanted to know how Riddick would dirty-talk to Jack if he had the chance to say anything. Please forgive any OOC-ness, as it is Valentine's Day and I did this special update, juuust for you. smiles

**Chapter Ten- Lips Like Morphine**

_Interplanetary Space_

_Space Route 413 to New Mecca_

The Midnight Storm

Elizabeth and Jack had a tentative peace that worked, as long as they didn't see each other, Riddick noted with a bit of amusement. Both were very Alpha personalities and not accustomed to having their dominance in their territory disputed. So, as long as Jack stayed on _The Serenity Lost_ and Elizabeth on _The Midnight Storm_, everything should be just fine and dandy.

_"Yo, Richard?"_ came over the ship's comm unit and Riddick winced. He'd told Jack before not to refer to him as Richard, but the girl was insistent that, as long as she didn't add the last name, everything was okay.

"Yes, _Victoria_?" he replied, stressing her name pointedly. He really couldn't do much less with over a hundred miles seperating the ships, but he'd strangle her if he could at the moment.

_"I'm locking onto you for autopilot. It's time for Alex to go to bed and he wants a story. Shouldn't be more than a half hour or so,"_ she said, the smile evident in her voice. Even though her little boy was growing up, he still wanted Mommy to tell him a bedtime story, the tone said. It was the kind of tone Riddick imagined she often had with Alex.

"Sure, Victoria. Tell Alex I said goodnight and I'll talk with him tomorrow."

_"Sure will, Richard. Talk to you in a bit."_

There was a beep to indicate that she had broke the transmission and Riddick looked up at the chronograph with an unguarded expression that vaguely resembled longing. It was a little less than a week to New Mecca from Frontier Augustus travelling at the speed they were. Kenny and Mario travelled with the equipment, so the men were a few days ahead of them and would arrive on New Mecca in about half the time.

When Kenny had proposed that he and Mario travel at the slower pace on Jack's ship, Riddick had growled possessively, glaring at Kenny. Jack frowned and politely found a reason to toss the idea out. After that little band meeting, she dragged Riddick behind her ship and shoved him against the hull.

_"Listen to me. You may be the father of my child, but you, by no means, own me in any sense. I am _not_ your's and I will _never_ be your's again. Get that through your thick skull and the next week and a half might be pleasant instead of merely tolerable. I am my own woman. I made Victoria Blanchett into something that Audrey Richards could never be because Abu al-Walid was associated with you and constantly watched. Because someone betrayed her and sent the dogtags you gave her to Sheikh Hazad, leaving her weak to any kind of lecherous advances for her own safety. I won't make the same mistake with Victoria that I did with Audrey. You'll never possess me again, Riddick. I can't afford it."_

Her speech still rang in his ears, aroused his anger, tempted him to prove her wrong, but how did one go about seducing an unwilling mate?

There was the sound of leather against metal and Riddick turned. Elizabeth Citresse stood there, obviously annoyed.

"What?"

"Are you a Riddick of Furya or a weak Terra human male?" she queried contemptuously. "You're letting off pheromones so strong that you're saturating the ship with the desire to mate. I'm Furyan, not the bloody Goddess, Riddick. Go over to her ship, lock the child in his room, bend her over the nearest counter, and fuck her to submission. That's what the Riddicks are famous for."

"Jack would ice my ass so fast my head would be spinning for two days after I died."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Motherfuckin' hell," she spat. "I should have just travelled with the fuckin' baggage. At least then I'd sleep without the pheromones."

"Watch it, Elizabeth."

"What are you good at, Riddick? Aside from killin'?"

He thought for a moment and didn't like the answer. "Whorin'."

"How do you talk to a whore?" she queried impatiently, obviously about to make a point.

"You talk dirty."

"Whore's aren't the only ones that like a little dirty talk. And while you ponder that, I'm getting some food and turning on some music in my cabin. Just page her ship as soon as she's through with the kid."

Riddick couldn't help a grin as Elizabeth pushed herself off the doorframe and walked away... Perhaps she had a point. Now, he just had to find a way to surprise Jack with it where she wouldn't have time to put up her guards...

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Two hours later_

The Serenity Lost

Jack walked back to the helm with the familiarity of a woman long used to piloting her own ship to wherever she wished to go. The controls had, over time, been customized for her. She had invested major credits into her beauty, changing some of the smuggler's holds to escape pods and other minor changes. It looked like a piece of junk, but it was the best-running piece of junk she'd ever owned.

She looked at the comm unit and scanned her palm, activating the missed messages feature.

Riddick's voice purred through the cabin. _"Jack, message me when you get this. I would like to talk."_

She froze at the sound of his voice, letting it send shudders down her spine. How was it that just a simple, to-the-point message like that made her want to go all hot and creamy in anticipation?

She was still as weak now as she had been at sixteen, she thought in disgust, pressing the 'return call' button.

_"Jack?"_

"Yeah, Richard. What'd you need?"

His voice dropped an octave and she recognized it as the voice he'd used when he whispered against her skin for her to make him stop. _"I need a lot of things, but I'd rather talk about your...needs."_

He surely wasn't thinking of trying to seduce her with the hundreds of miles of space between them. "You've got to be fuckin' kiddin' me, Richard. _My_ needs include sleep, a midnight snack, and a new training exercise, and not necessarily in that order."

_"You mean to tell me that you never think back to that afternoon, Jack?" _She made a small sound against her will. Surely she wasn't going to be as weak as to listen to this. The 'disconnect' button was right there... She could press it.

_"Don't cut me off, Jack, you know you want to listen. What I would have done if we hadn't crossed wires, what I want to do, even though your hundreds of miles away in the cold of space... The coldness of your bed. Just listen, Jack. Won't do no harm, now will it?"_

She took a seat in the pilot's chair, taking a long moment before responding in a quiet voice, "I suppose not, but it won't change anything."

_"Jack, talkin' was always your strong point. Why are you bein' so brisk with me?"_

"Because this isn't a conversation I want."

_"Do you regret me takin' you?"_

She paused, tempted to lie and say 'Yes. I hated it.', but she couldn't do that. She could never be less than honest with him and she hated that. "No."

_"Then listen. Think back to that afternoon. Can you feel the sunlight against your skin, the wall against your back?" _he queried and, just for a moment, she could. For a moment, she was truly sixteen again and could feel the sunlight of New Mecca, the cool wall against her hot flesh, the hair that had escaped her ponytail brushing her shoulder... Riddick in her, around her, above her, in front of her, possessing her, even as she tried to possess him, to do more than just buck against the wall in frustration and ecstacy.

_"From the silence, I'll say that you can. Do you remember what I felt like inside you?"_

She felt the growing moisture between her legs and stood to shut the door to the cockpit. It would not be good for Alex to walk in on this conversation. "Yeah, I remember."

_"Want to play a little game, Jackie?"_

She frowned at the seeming change of topic. "What game?"

_"Twenty Questions. It's an old Terra game."_

"I know what it is. Fine. We'll play."

_"I go first. Are you wet?"_

She sat back down, deciding that if they were going to play erotic Twenty Questions, the least he could do was oblige her with an orgasm. "Yes, a bit. My turn. What would have been the first thing you would have done to me if we hadn't 'crossed wires' as you put it?"

_"I wanted to take you upstairs, to the roof. Take you slow in the sunlight. Watch you come apart in my arms over and over before I slid into you and fucked you until my name was the only one you knew. Tasted you, so fresh to the world of carnal pleasure and always smellin' of vanilla and honey, syrupy in the back of my throat, and a dash of lemon for tang. Always wanted to know how you blended those three scents. Every time I've smelled vanilla or lemon, I've thought about you."_

She blushed brightly, only growing redder as he continued his answer, shuddering as she could see it in her head.

_"My turn. What's the most you've done with anyone since that afternoon?"_

She glared at the comm, drawing in an indignant breath before laughing. He wanted to upset her, to throw her off balance. She wouldn't permit it. "Awww, Richard, I'm sorry, but you're gettin' someone else's sloppy seconds. I've had sex and it was good. Great actually. Maybe it's just that you stunk."

He growled and she could sense him mentally envisioning the 'other man' as a corpse with a lot of violent blood splatter around the body. Jack actually felt sorry for the mental vision as she was sure that Riddick was ripping him a new one from asshole to Adam's apple.

"My turn. What about you? What's the most you've done with a woman since that afternoon?"

The growl turned to a purr. Was it possible he recognized her game, her deliberate attempt to incite his jealousy?

_"Mmm, Jack. You wouldn't believe the whores I've fucked, trying to cum and forget you. I could move in her for hours, trying to gain relief, make her scream out over and over, but it was sex and essentially unfulfillin'. I wanted it to be you pinned beneath me, on all fours beneath me, ridin' me, beggin' for slow, faster, gently, harder in breathless gasps."_

She panted quietly as she debated slipping her hands into her pants and gaining some relief of her own. It would only be fair. She could only imagine him over on _The Midnight Storm_, jacking off.

Of course! That's what this was. His way of having a private booty call. It made sense and everything fell into place. Then again, there was nothing wrong with a bit of harmless flirting over the comm, a bit of dirty talk. It was erotic and exciting and something she'd never done before.

Plus, it was Riddick. She still trusted him with her life, her body, just not with her heart or her child.

"Mmm, nice fantasy, Riddick. Not that it's going to happen, but, Christ, you could make a nun think dirty thoughts."

_"Thank you, Jack. I would compliment in kind, but we both know that's closer to the truth than either of us wants to think about right now."_

She blushed, first in anger, then in the realization that it was a Riddick compliment. Twisted, back-handed, and semi-mean.

_"You know if you want to slip that pretty little hand into your pants, you have to answer my question, Jack. We're on question five, aren't we?"_

She thought back and nodded, knowing he'd hear it.

_"Tell me your deepest fantasy. The one you'd never tell anyone else."_

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_The Midnight Storm_

Merciful God, they weren't even half-way through the game and he was ready to bust his pants. He could only do this with her as far away as the other ship. If she were here, he would have bent her over the nav console about ten minutes ago.

_"Mmmm, you always did know hunt down everywhere you were in my mind, Richard."_

He froze and looked at the comm console. _He_ was in her fantasy? He couldn't wait to hear this.

"Tell me, Jack."

_"It's the full moon on Terra and we're there, on some beach, but I don't know you're there, haven't seen you in days for some reason. There's a storm coming in and the beach is deserted, vacant. I've found this little secluded cove, surrounded by trees and rocks, very hard to access. I start dancing on the sand."_

His body jerked as he let his mind envision her words. She wouldn't be doing a waltz or anything like that under a full moon and under the sand. No, this dance would be purely Jack the Woman, dancing for seduction. A primal dance like a sacrifice to some pagan god, skin gleaming in the light.

He wasn't going to survive this conversation.

"Then what, Jack?" he rasped. He could hear the lust in his voice, knew that she'd recognize it. Damned if she'd do anything but continue, otherwise he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.

_"It's a slow dance, something to a beat in my head. Suddenly, you're behind me, pulling me back into you. I don't get the chance to turn around and see you, but I know it's you. Your scent, your body, your hands. I don't even have to open my eyes to know. You pull me back against you, moving with my body as I dance and it turns from slow to erotic effortlessly. The chemistry between us so potent that the waves stop receeding from the shore, as if Poseidon himself has deemed it alright for us to finish this mating dance._

_"You cradle me, removing your jacket and laying it on the beach, never speaking."_

He could see this actually happen, though few people went to Terra anymore. It was a playground for the spoiled children of the galaxy's richest and most powerful. Jack belonged in their circles as Victoria Blanchett. As Jack Richards, though... She belonged with him. It didn't matter _where_ she belonged or _who_ she pretended to be, as long as their was Jack, and she was with him.

_"We fall, but not hard. The sand is like silk, embracing us as you remove my dress and..."_ She froze and he heard the indecision of whether or not to continue.

_Don't stop, Jack. For the love of God, don't stop,_ he was tempted to say, but that would be too much like begging and that was the one thing he couldn't do, not even for Jack.

_"I need to go check on Alex."_

He growled and shifted in his seat, harder than he'd ever been in his life. "This isn't over, Jack."

_"Yes, it is, Riddick. I need it to be,"_ she replied. _"I can't love a murderer."_

She disconnected and Riddick sat there, stunned.

_'I can't love a murderer.'_

With five words, had she set him free or condemned him back to the darkness?


	12. Chapter 11 You

**Author's Note:** As always, reviews are appreciated and put on the Altar to the Mob of Insane Torch-Weilding Fans. This one's for you, Furyan Goddess. wink You've been begging for it all along and I'm just here to grant wishes.

**Chapter Eleven: You**

_New Mecca_

_Two weeks later_

The music was slow. She had to sing this song, lest she go mad. She had to make him understand. It was the one song she hadn't let Ziza talk her out of. Older than her usual music, it was a Bonnie Tyler song, 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'.

She had to make Riddick understand. She didn't mean it. She had never meant it. She could, indeed, love a murderer, and she did. She was so in love with him that seeing him constantly around Elizabeth, when she did see him at all, was infuriating.

She had Mario singing back up, instead of Kenny, as she had realized that Riddick and Alex both hated Kenny. As soon as this tour was over, the man was leaving Stellar... She just hoped that she could find a replacement.

None of it mattered, though. Not if Riddick wasn't beside her. Not if Riddick wasn't her mate, her husband, her protector, her... her world.

_(Turn around)_

_Every now and then I get a little bit lonely_

_And you're never comin' around_

_(Turn around)_

_Every now and then I get a little bit tired _

_Of listening to the sound of my tears_

_(Turn around)_

_Every now and then I get a little bit nervous _

_That the best of all the years have gone by_

_(Turn around)_

_Every now and then I get a little bit terrified_

_And then I see the look in your eyes_

_(Turn around, Bright Eyes)_

_Every now and then I fall apart_

_(Turn around, Bright Eyes)_

_Every now and then I fall apart_

The music sped up, grew more intense.

_And I need you now, tonight_

_And I need you more than ever_

_And if you'll only hold me tight_

_We'll be holding on forever_

_And we'll only be makin' it right_

_'Cause we'll never be wrong together_

_We can take it to the end of the line_

_Your love is like a shadow over me all of the time_

_(All of the time)_

_I don't know what to do_

_And I'm always in the dark_

_We're livin' in a powder keg_

_And givin' off sparks_

_And I really need you tonight_

_Forever's gonna start tonight_

_Forever's gonna start tonight_

The music slowed again and she took a breath, hoping against hope that he was here to see her tonight. She'd not talked to him since they had landed on New Mecca, though his ship stayed in the port, right beside her's. It had never left, never moved... But she couldn't find Riddick.

_Once upon a time_

_I was fallin' in love_

_Now I'm only fallin' apart_

_There's nothin' I can do_

_A total eclipse of the heart_

_Once upon a time_

_There was light in my life_

_Now there's only love in the dark_

_There's nothin' I can say_

_A total eclipse of the heart_

She smiled, throwing herself off stage right as the music hit it's climax, loving the sound. The crowd cleared and she began dancing. A slow, erotic dance that would have gotten her thrown off the planet, had it not been for the special license for uncensored performances that she had acquired especially for New Mecca. She had told him that dream. Now, on New Mecca, he had to see the dance she'd envisioned. She had to make him want her again.

And right as the drums were struck for about the third time, a huge palm covered her hand. She didn't have to look to know. It was Riddick and he was risking everything to have this dance with her.

Low, low, in her ear, he whispered,_ "It's alright, baby girl. Let's get this show over. I've got some... private entertainment for you tonight."_

She looked over her shoulder and smiled a true smile. A smile just for him. She was so tired of fighting.

_(Turn around, Bright Eyes)_

_Every now and then, I fall apart_

_(Turn around, Bright Eyes)_

_Every now and then, I fall apart_

_And I need you now, tonight_

_And I need you more than ever_

_And if you'll only keep holdin' me tight_

_Then we'll be holdin' on forever_

_And we'll only be makin' it right_

_Cause we'll never be wrong together_

_We can take it to the end of the line_

_Your love is like a shadow over me all of the time_

_(All of the time)_

_I don't know what to do_

_I'm always in the dark_

_We're livin' in a powder keg_

_And givin' off sparks_

_I really need you tonight_

_Forever's gonna start tonight_

_Forever's gonna start tonight_

_Once upon a time_

_I was fallin' in love_

_Now I'm only fallin' apart_

_There's nothin' I can do_

_A total eclipse of the heart_

_Once upon a time_

_There was light in my life_

_Now there's only love in the dark_

_There's nothin' I can say_

_A total eclipse of the heart_

There, in the full view of sixty-thousand plus people, they danced and his eyes were solely on her. Those brilliant, full-moon eyes were focused on her, like she was the last real thing in the universe. The center of _his_ universe. And it was the only thing that mattered.

He was obviously unconcerned with being recognized, after all, everyone thought that Richard Riddick had died years ago. They could be Riddick and Jack, Victoria and Michael, Adam and Eve. It didn't matter who they were, what they were, as long as they were together.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Imam Abu al-Walid sat in a private box with Elizabeth Citresse, Lady Citresse, he had learned. Lady Citresse of Furya, handmaiden to the Queen, Chosen of Shirai, and Emissary of the Furyan Peoples.

He was inclined to believe her, once she presented a piece of paperwork from her leather bodice and Furyan State Personnel identification.

They watched Jack and Riddick dance, both smiling, though for different reasons.

"At last," Abu sighed, his smile paternal and proud of Jack. "Ten years have gone into these two. Now it is time for me to start with my Ziza. She will need a good, strong man soon."

Elizabeth growled at the old man's matchmaking. "So long as you've no intention of snagging another Furyan warrior for her, Holy Man. We Furyan women would like a few mates of our own, you know?"

He laughed, a low husky sound. His voice had never been the same after the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crash, though Elizabeth would hardly know that. "No, no. No Riddick-men for Ziza. She needs an artist. A gentle man. One who will treat her like the precious artifact she is."

An old friend of both Elizabeth and Abu, Areon, an Elemental, fluttered into the box, no hair out of place, though she had just shimmered in from practically nothing. "Ah, but Abu, Elizabeth, you've no clue what is in store for those two."

"Areon?"

The Elemental just donned her most enigmatic smile, and would answer no questions from the two concerning the matter of Audrey Richards and Richard Riddick.

The way Elizabeth figured it, as long as neither _freozki_ figured out that the notes they had both received weren't from each other, all was well. It didn't matter how it happened, so long as Jack and Riddick were together. That fact still didn't stop the woman from rollling her eyes in disgust. She hoped she'd find her _freozki_ one day. It really rather annoyed her that a Terra human could be a _freozki_, when there were plenty of willing women on Furya.

_Oh, well. Can't claim to know the Goddess' thoughts, now can I?_

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Jack slid into her rooms, having put Alex to bed. Her window was open, though her door had been locked, and there was only one man that she knew that would use her window instead of her door.

_Riddick..._

He slipped out of the shadows, eyes so bright and so perfect. Though her sight was challenged by the darkness, she knew that he could see her as if it were broad daylight.

It made her feel hunted and sexy. He was the ultimate predator, and he had chosen to make her his prey, his mate. She knew now that he wasn't playing with her. That she wasn't some one-night-stand booty-call to him. He wanted her forever, and the note he had slipped into her sheet music proved it.

_Jack, I need you. I may be a murderer, as you say, but it was all done in survival. Can you not accept me and be my forever-mate?_

She tossed her sheet music to the side, and stepped into his arms the moment he opened them. It was a home-coming. It was where she had always belonged, but where she had fought against being.

His head tilted down and their lips were a breath from meeting when she whispered, "You'll never own me."

He shook his head and caught her lower lip, worrying it with his teeth gently. "No, Jack. _You_ own _me_. You've thrown down on me and won, baby girl."

She knew instinctively that, right now, that was the closest she'd get to hearing him saying 'I love you.' She didn't need to hear it right now, but she hoped that, before the night was over, he'd give her those precious words. She smiled, though, at his choice of expressing his affection at the moment. He always made things seem like they were such a fight.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him as deeply as she knew how. She wanted passion and magic, power and fury. No more confusion, no more misunderstanding.

When he kissed her back, she pulled off his shivs and hers, disarming them both for the first time in years. Even in Abu's kitchen, his shivs had been within reach.

She stepped away and put the blades on her desk, not locking them up as she would have normally. This was Riddick and you couldn't lock up his blades. But she, and only she, could take them away.

She turned back to him, slowly pulling her shirt over her head. "Riddick...I need you."

There was a low growl, as if she had snapped some leash she had been unaware of, but had been tormenting Riddick. He was on her in a flash, picking her up and devouring her mouth.

She would have sworn she heard him whisper, _"My Jack. Only mine."_

It didn't bother her. She'd never wanted another man besides Riddick.

He lay her on the bed gently and she shook her head, knowing what he was thinking. He wanted to go slow, to cherish this, and she just wanted. She leaned up, bracing herself on her arms and whispered in his ear, "I want my mate to burn for me. To want me so badly that the only thing on his mind is satisfying both of us and snapping his hips against mine, burying himself so deep that I'll never be able to bear the touch of another man." She shuddered when his lips found her pulse, tasting it, pausing there to catch the rhythm of it. "Are you the man I want, Riddick?" she purred defiantly.

His head snapped up and in his eyes was a kind of animalistic challenge she had never seen before. It made her feel hot and wet. Wetter, anyway. She didn't think there was a woman in the Known Systems that could resist Riddick's particular brand of completely masculine charm.

He slid her clothes off and his own without much more hesitation. She knew that if they were in an open space, she'd start running about now, not that she truly wished to escape, but because he was more animal than man at the moment, and a strong mate never just surrendered.

"I'm the only man, Jack. _The only man_," he hissed, his hand going down to explore her moist folds. "No other, unless you want him to die."

When he slid his finger into her and she gasped, eyes going blind as that long digit brushed a spot that made her buck, he gave a satisfied growl. "There never has been another, has there, Jackie?"

She couldn't answer. Surely he didn't expect her to answer right now, did he?

He stopped and she could tell that he did.

"There never has been another, has there, Jack?" he repeated, pulling his finger out to lick at it.

She broke. "No. Never another. I couldn't stand the thought of their touch."

At that, he lay on top of her and pushed into her so deep that the first thrust made her scream, but not in pain. She suddenly saw the world in waves of pink, white, purple, and red. The kind of vision Riddick had told her was how he saw.

_"Green,"_ he whispered before looking over her again, like it was the first time he'd ever seen her. "So beautiful. You're so gods-damned beautiful, baby girl."

He slid out before snapping his hips forward and up, lifting her hips with one hand to assist her in being exactly where he wanted.

They thrust back and forth for hours, it seemed, until she couldn't stop the tidal wave of pleasure that shredded her consciousness, even as she felt him stiffen and his cum splash against her insides, rocking her further.

_"Riddick!"_ she moaned, loud enough to be a scream, quiet enough to be a whisper of a whisper.

He collapsed on top of her, and she heard, "Sweet Gods... _Jack._"

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_New Medina_

_Four days later_

Sheikh Hazad was beyond furious. How _dare_ Abu al-Walid, a man who was nothing without the backing of the Hazad family, do this? Divorcing Lajjun had been bad enough, though the Sheikh had supported the decision because no man should live with a wife as suspicious as Lajjun. Lajjun had been meant for the intrigues of some man's court. Not for the simplicity of being an Imam's wife.

There was no doubt in Hazad's mind that Victoria Blanchett was Audrey Richards... And she'd been on New Mecca with al-Walid's knowledge, but al-Walid had made no effort to report her to the Sheikh.

For that, al-Walid must die. His daughter should be just old enough to start training to be an _adeni_ or a concubine for some man's court. Barring that, he could always take the child as a sex slave and sell her... After he broke her in. She was pretty enough.

But the thought of Audrey Richards, whom he had claimed as his eight and a half years ago, dancing with some strange infidel in the broad view of planets... That was unacceptable. It was humiliating, even if he and al-Walid were the only ones to know Victoria Blanchett's true identity.

Even on the off chance that Blanchett wasn't Richards, and Hazad wasn't willing to bet anything on that possibility, it was her fault. She shouldn't look so much like that damned temptress of al-Walid's.

He momentarily pondered the reports put out by Imam al-Walid that Audrey had committed suicide upon discovery of Abu's plans to wed her to a minor member of the Council on New Mecca for several thousand _sheikel_s and a few acres of farmland in Helion Prime's mountainous region. There had been a proper funeral for her, though short due to her suicide, and a burial service, as she had died pure in Allah's eyes.

Who had al-Walid had killed to give his precious Audrey a chance to escape her duty as a child of the all-mighty Allah?

He threw a priceless old Earth artifact at the wall in his rage before drawing his blade as a servant came forward to clean it. Before the woman could move away, he slid the blade against the artery in her throat, killing her. He watched as she fell and bled out.

Yes. That was a fitting punishment for the Richards girl. He would take her, again and again, until the fire in his blood for her was sated and he could want no more. Then he would slice her throat open and pull her tongue out. The tongue that had seduced millions upon millions. The tongue that had seduced him.

And then, he would bury her in an unmarked grave that even Allah wouldn't be able to find.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Author's Note:** C'mon… Seriously. Did you think I was gonna let it end there? laughs manaically When I have Riddick under my complete control? Never!!!

Please read and, most importantly, review.


	13. Chapter 12 Desert Rose

**Author's Note: ** Okay, not as big of a response to the Riddick/Jack smut as I hoped for, but all of the responses were positive. I'll also take this chance to do a little shameless promotion for my friend Matrix Taylor, who's writing a Christine Feehan fanfiction called _Dark Silence_. If you're a Christine Feehan fan, slip by and show her some love, as the story is really interesting, and highly unique. Plus, there's also the fact that she gives me props as her beta-reader/editor/poking muse or whatever. .

Oh, and the reader challenge of finding out what my chapter titles have in common will be **CLOSED** as of the posting of Chapter Thirteen. C'mon, ladies and gents (presuming there are some guys out there... hears crickets), won't anyone guess?

I also apologize for the long wait between chapter eleven and chapter twelve. I've been incredibly busy and have had my access to computers a bit limited. -.-;

I was asked what I bribed Riddick with? Well, it involved the painful murder of Dame Vaako, Toombs, and the Sheikh in this story, plus a few more fantastic sex scenes with Jackie-girl. Other than that... Heh heh... Might not be too wise for me to say more... After all, he does know where I sleep. -.-;

**Chapter Twelve: Desert Rose**

_New Mecca_

_One day later_

Riddick lay back on the bed, perfectly peaceful for one of the few times in his life. Well, one of the few times that didn't involve having ghosted someone, been in a bar brawl that involved ghosting someone, or any variation thereof. Then again, he could assume that anyone who had spent the fair majority of the past five days making their mate scream in countless ways, had cum so many times that he was sure that there wasn't a number high enough to enumerate it, would be as well pleased and peaceful as he was.

Riddick, the galaxy's ex-most wanted killer, couldn't have killed anyone at the moment, even if a Merc came in and pulled a knife on him.

Jack gasped for breath, her body still shuddering lightly. He had stopped counting her orgasms after three- or had it been four?-, but he knew that she was well-pleasured and exhausted. Hell, _he_ was exhausted, and he had used to be able to ride a woman all night.

"Fuckin' hell... Riddick, you're gonna kill me," she panted. He turned over and looked at her, seeing swollen lips, glassy eyes, small red marks from his possession. He purred contentedly, delighted at the physical signs on her. She was well and truly claimed and he had done it. He was the only man to possess her and no other would _ever_ take her from him. He had succeeded in fulfilling his chief desire.

She saw his smile and heard his purr. "No way in hell, Riddick. You've fucked me senseless, but there's no way we can go at it _again_ tonight. Night is for sleep. Now, we sleep."

He roared out a laugh that had her smiling quietly. He saw that it was a Victoria Blanchett smile and held in the growl of discontent. He thought that it had been very clear that Victoria Blanchett wasn't allowed in their bed. Here it was supposed to be just Jack and Riddick. He tried to accept that she had lived seven of the last eight years as Victoria and had, in some ways, _become_ Victoria...

He couldn't stop himself from rolling her on top of him and kissing her senseless. "Jack."

She moaned quietly, shivering. "Riddick."

He nodded. "No other. You're mine," he whispered for the millionth time, too exhausted to follow the words up with the usual intense fucking session that he'd given her every time he had said it over the past five days.

"I catch Chanel No. 5 on you that isn't mine, I'm slicing your balls off, understood, Riddick?" she yawned. Had she been fully awake and holding some blade or another, the threat would have been more effective, but he knew that she meant it. Jack never said what she didn't mean in the moment. He knew, though, that she would always mean this.

He had meant it when he said it. She owned him. She had made it where no other woman would satisfy him again. There wasn't a chance of him straying from her.

"Understood, Jack. Sleep now, baby girl. We've got to be at the ships in a few hours."

She yawned again and slid into slumber, one leg hooking over both of his so that he couldn't move without waking her. Not that he'd leave her in the bed alone here.

He slipped into a light sleep, thinking of how Jack had bloomed in this environment, much like a rose in the desert or a angel in the concrete. It was wonderful to see and he knew that he would have to be very careful to avoid destroying her. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he harmed her.

There was a light snort and he smiled slightly. He could kill without blinking but one little girl's light was beyond his ability to snuff out. And, more amazingly, somehow, it was alright with him.

_She walked in nothing but Grace and a piece of white fabric some very generous soul might consider a dress... if he was half-drugged and a homosexual. Jack walked with her, chattering pleasantly. He relaxed, aware that the other woman wasn't a threat._

_Jack was clothed in something that resembled old Earth light leather armor, her left bicep bearing a blue, glowing handprint. She wore a leather skirt with the armor, boots coming up to her knees. He noted where her blades were with pride. He had taught her well. Not even a Goddess got her unarmed._

_"No, I'm not a threat, Riddick, but you will come across one soon," Shirai said, obviously plucking the thought from his head._

_"Who?"_

_She laughed lightly. "I cannot tell you that, Riddick, and you know I cannot. I have given you all of the warning that I can in telling you that you are in danger. I have warned the both of you before, but never together. It is good that you are united at last."_

_"United? It's just sleepin' together. Nothin' big," Jack corrected Shirai._

_"Is that so, Audrey Jacqueline? 'Just sleepin' together?' No. It is more than that, otherwise Furya is doomed. You're scared of anything more, Audrey Jacqueline. Unfortunately, I do not have time to stay here and relieve your fears. I can tell you this, though, you may think yourself abandoned, neglected, rejected, and unloved, Audrey Jacqueline, but you are more protected, loved, wanted, and needed than any other woman in this universe. There is no other like you, be you Jack B. Badd, Victoria Blanchett, or Audrey Richards."_

_There was a flash of light and an intense pain in his head, on his right bicep, before he returned to the darkness of sleep._

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Jack walked up to _The Serenity Lost_ and keyed in her entry code. This trip was going to be incredibly lonely. She and Imam al-Walid had decided that it was finally time for Alex to stay on Helion Prime and receive a more formal education than what the tutors that traveled with the band could provide. Her heart screamed at leaving him here, but it was needed. Abu was rarely wrong about where someone needed to be at in a particular place in time.

Plus, it would make the transition concerning her and Riddick's... relationship... easier. No parent wanted their child walking in on coital activities, no matter how mind-blowing said activities were. She just couldn't believe it, though.

"Mama, Mama!"

At first she didn't stop, thinking that it was the need to hear it that had manifested Alexi's perfect little voice. Then, she froze and turned.

There stood the smaller of the Riddicks, his daddy beneath him as the big Riddick carried him piggy back, looking a bit pained, and every bit a proud father. She was certain that it was her fantasizing, but when Richard's hand touched her she saw that it was real.

"Alex, why did you not stay at Grandpa Abu's?"

He frowned and shook his head. "Can't leave you to defend yourself. You'll get hurt and I have to be there."

Jack looked at the big Riddick with a suspicious glare... Could he have taught their son that line that was so vaguely familiar and resonated with the memory of when he had left her the first time?

Nooo, not even Riddick was that evil. He wouldn't have.

She smiled and shook her head as well. "I guess that since you're here and your Papa is carrying your bag, you can come. This time. Next time, you're staying."

"You-"

Richard looked up at his son and shook his head. Alex shut up and Jack laughed.

"I guess that 'Papa' is better than 'Father'," Riddick said with a shrug, his face thoughtful. "But there ain't gonna be no callin' me by my real name, clear, boy?"

Jack and Alex both nodded. Jack's nod was before she could realize that Riddick wasn't speaking to her and he barked out a laugh.

"You ain't no boy, Jack. You and I both know that, yes?"

She blushed brightly and whistled innocently as she boarded the ship. "You on the _Midnight Storm_ or are you coming on _The Serenity Lost_, sugar?" she queried, tossing the question over her shoulder like it didn't matter. It did, but she'd not let him know.

"I'm on the _Storm_. I've got to deliver Elizabeth to Furya. Then the _Storm_ is being sold. Alex wants to travel with me."

She nodded, not entirely satisfied with the answer, but accepting it nonetheless. She was pleased that Alex wanted to spend time with his father, but it hurt that they both knew that she would have an empty ship and neither bothered to care that she would be very lonely.

"See you in a week, Big Evil."

He nodded and she closed the ship, her last sight on New Mecca being her son slapping his father upside the head and the ship rang with her laughter.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Space Lane 211_

_Interplanetary Route to Furya_

The _Midnight Storm_

"Prepare yourself!" Elizabeth barked at Alex, tossing a quarterstaff at him. Alex caught it and twirled it, testing the weight carefully before balancing his weight on spread legs. Riddick stood to the side, prepared to intervene if Alex proved too strong and/or rough for Elizabeth, though Elizabeth assured Riddick that she doubted that would happen.

"Ready?"

At Alex's nod, Elizabeth charged Alex. Alex blocked the staff easily, but was thrown back with the pure force of her attack. Riddick restrained the urge to go and see if he was okay, knowing that Jack would be upset if their son was injured. He wasn't sure if he liked Alex yet, as he realized that Alex was accustomed to being the top dog on _The Serenity Lost._

Yet, Alex was still his son. His son by Jack, though he was still a stranger to fatherhood and trying to adjust to the state.

"Again!" Elizabeth stated, waiting for Alex to get up. And then, again, she knocked him to the floor. "You are not the Alpha here, Alex. You are the weakest member of this ship and you will act like it! Until you get stronger, you will respect your betters. Is that understood, pup?!"

Alex nodded, not looking at Riddick for support. He seemed to understand that dominance was earned, not just given by birth and that was something that made his father incredibly proud.

"Elizabeth, ease up on him. Remember, his mother is Terra human. She probably hasn't given him much strength training," Riddick said, finally interfering. Alex gave him an appreciative glance and Elizabeth just nodded.

"Alright, Riddick. Stand up, pup. I'll start you at level one."

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Space Lane 211_

_Interplanetary Route to Furya_

_The Serenity Lost_

Jack turned on her music, gently rolling her shoulder. Who would have thought that Riddick could actually be a gentle, caring, considerate lover?

She laughed. She knew that she was special and that, had she just been an ordinary whore, Riddick would not have spent five days making her scream, been so gentle as to make her cry, and not have given a damn whether or not she enjoyed it. She had known about Riddick's whores when they had travelled together and had actually talked to one… or two. Riddick would have been so upset to find out that his fourteen-year-old ward, no matter how reluctant he was to claim guardianship, had been interviewing the women he fucked.

She began a small training exercise, designed to stretch her muscles and keep her as flexible as possible. It was great to be able to do backflips, crazy jumps, and other stunts on stage…. Plus her mate was a very adventurous, very vigorous lover. Gave a whole new definition to 'a freak between the sheets.'

Her mate…. She still couldn't believe she had finally caught the universe's most Alpha male. After so long, trying to convince herself that Audrey Richards was dead, that Victoria Blanchett didn't need Riddick, that she didn't need t be held, loved, wanted, needed….

And Riddick had disproved her in less than a month. One month…

She did a flip, not using her hands, and landed in a split, her thoughts growing troubled. One month wasn't enough time to fall in love. Plus, she had been in the middle of a strong hormonal upheaval when she and Riddick had reconnected this time.

She stayed in the split, thinking carefully. Did she love Riddick or was it just the better than fabulous sex, the need to be wanted and needed talking? And that dream she had last night… Shirai, the patron Goddess of Furya, a woman she knew better than she knew herself. If one could ever truly know a goddess.

She stood up, moving quickly in silent fury. This was unacceptable. Of course, Riddick didn't love her and she sure as hell didn't love Riddick. It was impossible, and she wouldn't love someone that didn't love her, but that wouldn't stop her from enjoying the physical aspect of their relationship.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

_New Medina_

_Sheikh Hazad's Palace_

The Sheikh watched Victoria Blanchett's exercise routine with hungry eyes and hardened loins, his hand moving against himself. What a lovely temptress. Those eyes… Yes, he could carve out her eyes when he was through with her.

Those eyes had been the first thing to seduce him.

He knew that they were headed to a small planet called Furya, mostly inhabited by women, and his own fleet of ships where headed to intercept _The Serenity Lost_ upon arrival to Furya and force a hyperspace jump back to New Medina.

He hardened more at the thought of the torture that awaited Victoria Blanchett upon her arrival at his palace.

White liquid shot out and he leaned back in his chair, turning off the video feed. He wouldn't be using his hands on himself soon enough.

_Patience, wise one. Patience._


	14. Chapter 13 I'd Give My Heart

**Author's Note:** Short chapter, sorry. Was incredibly busy and incredibly sick. Stupid bronchitis.

**Chapter Thirteen: I'd Give My Heart**

_Space Route 211_

_Interplanetary route to Furya_

_The Serenity Lost_

Jack had never been more touched by anyone's actions than she was by Riddick's behavior towards her on the trip to Furya. It put all of her doubts to rest.

Richard B. Riddick loved her and no other. It wasn't just 'sleepin' together' or great sex or who-knows-what else she could have called it. It was a giving, tender, wonderful love. Shirai was right.

In her darkest moment, she had felt certain that she was unwanted, unloved, unneeded. And the galaxy's most wanted criminal had proven her wrong.

Maybe he had known that she would have doubts. Maybe he had realized that she would have too much time to think about their relationship and her too worldly, too cynical side would kick in. He had called her every night to say his version of 'I love you.'

"_I belong to you."_

Alex was having a blast over on the _Midnight Storm_ and couldn't wait to get to Furya to meet other children that might be on the planet that might be like him. After all, with most of Furya's male population deceased, shouldn't there be more half-breeds like Alex?

It made sense to her and she encouraged Alex's excitement about finally seeing his father's home planet. She wanted him to accept his father and it seemed that they were getting along quite well.

She had also discovered that Riddick had a very unique sense of humor. Aside from the dark, morbid, twisted jokes that it seemed all killers enjoyed, Riddick had a weakness for ventriloquists. That had made her laugh when she had discovered it, and then laugh all the harder when she saw Riddick fail miserably at being a ventriloquist. He just couldn't quite keep his mouth from moving.

"_I am your's. Forever."_

Yet, in all of the growing closeness, she couldn't stop the feeling that there was something evil coming her way, something that she had faced before and been too cowardly to kill. She didn't know why or who, but even Riddick had a bad feeling about the future.

It would end of Furya. Whatever it was, it would end on Furya.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Elizabeth smiled as she leaned against the door to the pilot's deck, hearing just a little of Riddick's nightly call to _The Serenity Lost_. She wasn't quite certain what Victoria Blanchett, AKA Audrey Richards, was anymore.

Terra human, part Furyan, part something else.

If Elizabeth hadn't been so cocky when they had first met, she would have realized the subtle differences in the other woman's scent and identified them.

Now, she was having to identify faint traces through the even fainter traces in Alexander. Which frustrated her.

She knew that Audrey was quite familiar with her Goddess, Shirai. That had put the concern in Elizabeth's mind that Audrey was at least part something other than Terra human. Shirai had a strict policy of not interfering with Terra humans. Terrans had been the ones that had founded the Necromonger religion. Terrans had been the ones to destroy Furya's male population.

Besides, the Terrans had their own pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. They didn't need or want Shirai, except the most Furyan-like ones.

So why was Shirai helping a mostly Terran? Why had she made it clear to Elizabeth in no uncertain terms that Audrey was to live, no matter what sacrifice had to be made? That Audrey's future was linked with Furya's?

That Elizabeth may not make it back to her home?

She didn't like that. It had been so long since she had seen the Citresse estate, the lake that she had loved to fish in and catch the delicious _hratz_ fish. _Hratz_ tasted a bit like Terra salmon, only with a natural lemon-like flavor from eating both smaller fish and the skins of fruit that landed on the surface of their home.

She missed grilling _hratz_ and vegetables over an open fire and then sitting down on the blue-green grass to eat the fruits of her labors with her fingers, sucking on them when she accidently burned herself on a too-hot piece of meat or vegetable.

As much as no one could have tortured this piece of information out of her, Elizabeth was homesick. She had been gone for so long, so many years wasted hunting down the one man who wouldn't want anything to do with her world once he found out that everything had a price.

Would he still have to pay that price, though? Everyone recognized and acknowledged the bond between _freozki_s. It was the natural course of things, wasn't it?

Now was one of the moments that Elizabeth truly wished Areon was here. She could have used the elderly Elemental's advice.

"_Goodnight, Jack."_

"_I love you, Richard."_

Elizabeth slipped away, smiling. She didn't have anything to worry about. Two days to Furya and then she could have her _hratz_ with vegetables.


End file.
